


Jude

by moushkas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Community: casestory, Crimes & Criminals, Law and Order - Freeform, M/M, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-12
Updated: 2012-07-12
Packaged: 2017-11-09 20:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/458178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moushkas/pseuds/moushkas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Law and Order inspired story of the disheveled Detective Castiel and how he gets a family and solves a child rape and murder case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> **Author’s Notes:** I huge thanks to **davynn** ([Anti-canon on fanfiction.net](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2534674/Anti_canon)) for the amazing beta work. Despite computer issues and all kinds of miss adventures, you still managed to get me the edited pieces! Thank you!
> 
> Thank you to tobimonkee  for an adorable video :) I also want to thank you for all your patience. I was pretty much working on this at the very last second and you still managed to produce great art!
> 
> Thank you to the big bang challenge! This was fun and I can't wait until next year :)
> 
>  **Link(s) to Art Master Post(s):** Link to  tobimonkee's video posted [here](http://tobimonkee.livejournal.com/562385.html)
> 
> The masterlist posting for the  big bang
> 
>  

**Title:** Jude  
 **Author(s):** moushkas **Artist(s):** tobimonkee **Fandom(s):** Supernatural  
 **Type:**  Slash  
 **Rating:** R  
 **Word Count:** 22,867  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Dean Winchester and Castiel  
 **Warnings/Spoilers:** child abuse/disturbing things with children, murder/rape; (on screen) current/past drug abuse  
 **Summary:** A child murderer is on the loose and Detective Castiel Novack is going to get him. While following leads, he comes across a girl being abused in her foster home. She fits the serial killers M.O. and Castiel is afraid she'll be the next Cherish Doe on the news. He takes her in to avoid getting lost in the system and only after he starts to get use to a small girl in his desolate bachelor pad does he meet her recently cleaned up, desperately concerned father, Dean. Castiel is hooked the minute they speak, but he still has a case to solve and the only clue he has is Jude.

  
A Law and Order inspired story of the disheveled Detective Castiel and how he gets a family and solves a child rape and murder case.   


**Jude Part One**  


  


**City Dump**  
 **Monday, July 2nd**  
 **4:00pm**  


Trash was disgusting. It smelled absolutely foul, it clung to every inch of available body parts, clothed or otherwise, and the amount of soap, bleach and cologne to get rid of the smell and feeling would cost a small fortune. Detective Castiel Singer loathed jobs that took them to the local city dump. He’d go home reeking of the city’s disposables for weeks no matter how many showers he took. Ruby, his temperamental cat and only giver of affection in his strained life, would snuff him for a month at least. Remaining here at the City Dump any longer would guarantee Castiel several weeks of lonely nights with only his hand for company. Castiel was willing to take cases in raided crack houses over the dump.

How his partner still got around was beyond him.

Detective Balthazar Roache was as flirtatious as he was sharply dressed. Even here in the city dump, knee deep in plastic bags, he had the finest designer suit from Hugo Boss’ latest collection. Most rational men who weren’t trying to impress the entire precinct would have balked at the idea of a $200.00 suit getting soaked in garbage. Castiel nearly threw up at the idea of his $98.00 suit getting mud on it. Unlike Castiel, who was a tousle of dark hair, 5 o’clock shadow, blue eyes dulled by lack of sleep and all the other makings of a hobo, Balthazar was a bright, tanned blonde with grinning blue eyes and a well toned body. He was cool and sarcastic under pressure and clearly willing to get down and dirty to find clues.

“Get no sleep last night, Cassie?” Balthazar laughed, picking up a soiled pair of men’s boxers. He tossed it aside and slashed another garbage bag, pulling out a container of used cotton balls, “Up all night with a hot date?”

Castiel’s luck with dates were on equal ground with an ice cube in hell. He wasn’t anyone’s type, no one liked frumpy and aggressive, “Another fucked up case.”

Balthazar shrugged, “I know you have empathy for abused children, which is beyond me because your father seems like a lovable guy,” Balthazar pulled up a pamphlet with a cross on it, read through it before tossing it aside, “But man, don’t lose your cool over every sob story.”

“Sob story!” Castiel growled, “She was mutilated.”

“And you stomping around and then pouting doesn’t help.” Balthazar growled, “Now jump in here and sort through trash with me.”

Castiel was more the type to squeeze answers out of people in the interrogation room. So, Castiel remained standing along the edge of the trash heap, seething over his placement in this case, while Balthazar calmly joked about the ‘gold mind of trash’ he found. He was wielding a switch blade and slicing poor, helpless bags open. Castiel looked on with distaste while listening to Detective Ellen Harvelle question the witness. Trash digging was punishment for throwing a tirade when they got the report of the body. Castiel had one weakness, one thing that set him off emotionally; dead children. And this case was the worst.

“We were just dumping the trash we picked up on our west side round,” The nameless garbage man sounded irritated as he told his story to Ellen Harvelle. He most likely understood that this investigation would set back his entire day and he wouldn’t be making it home for dinner. Well, neither was Castiel. He’d have to call his neighbor to feed Ruby. Sucks to be all of them, “Newbie aimed the shoot a little high so the bag burst, found the body there. Looks like a girl, is it a girl?”

“We’ll know when the coroner gets here,” Ellen Harvelle sighed. She was in a dirty suit, one Castiel was sure she’d worn yesterday. It was a black dress shirt hidden underneath a suit jacket, spaghetti sauce staining the lapel. She barely had any make up and her long red hair was tied in a lose bun. Castiel shuddered at the though that she’d spent another night up at the garage. She was taking notes while Detective Rufus Turner asked questions, his hand dug deep in his cheap dress pants, pushing aside his crumpled suit jacket and tie. His brow was deeply furrowed, his mustache twitching with every word the garbage man spoke. He seemed just as irritated as Castiel felt. Ellen sighed again, “Where the hell is that girl?”

“Traffic is bad at four in the afternoon, Ellen,” Castiel sighed, inching away from the garbage, making his way over the section where the body was found, where the unidentified child’s prone form was still lying. Castiel was a foot away when a young blonde in a hazmat suit appeared.

“Touch that body and I’ll shoot you, Singer.” Dr. JoAnna Beth Harvelle, the city police’s best medical examiner, stepped right passed her mother and Castiel to the small body still wrapped in torn sheets, clothing and the remnants of a plastic bag. She kneeled in front of the body, scanning it with wide, hard eyes.

Jo was nothing like her mother, Ellen, save for a hard attitude and an obsession with the job. Her long blonde locks were tied in a high ponytail and tucked under the collar of her plastic suit. She had clearly gotten wind from the Captain that the case brought them to the dump.

Castiel squinted down at the body, trying to find clues himself, “What can you tell, Jo?”

She snorted, “Hard to tell with all the bruises and cuts. This poor thing was beaten to hell. I can’t even tell what killed the kid, or if it is even a kid.” Jo scanned the body with soft fingers, touching random parts as gently as possible, “Cuts along the palms, rope burns on wrist, she was a fighter. There’s some damage along the hips,” Jo’s fingers brushed along the exposed hips, traced a few bruises in that area, “I think she was raped and it was pretty recent to her death, may have even been the cause of it. I’ll have to do a full autopsy before I can figure that out.”

Castiel clenched his fingers, the violence against this child was appalling and the searing rage left him tense, itching for a fight. Whoever had the nerve to do this to someone so young would severely pay, if not by the justice system then by Castiel’s own fists. Rufus walked up behind them, patting Castiel on the shoulder, a reminder that this was not part of Castiel’s assignment, “How long do you think she was dead?”

“Decomposition says 3 months,” Jo frowned, “Could be accelerated depending on when she was thrown into the garbage.”

“How so?” Castiel frowned, inching closer to the body, fingers itching to grab the white blanket and cover the exposed body. A child shouldn’t be subjected to this, even in death.

“There’s some frost evident on her shoulders, around her eye lashes. She was frozen, maybe for a few weeks before they took her out.” Jo shrugged, “Best guess is she was dead for awhile, they stored her in a cold place then had to move to a more exposed area. That’s where the decomposition started.”

“Any finger prints, anything we can go by to find the identity?” Rufus rubbed at his thick mustache, looming over Castiel.

Castiel was numbly aware that Balthazar was demanding some of the forensic specialists to grab pieces of garbage, maybe even all of them. Ellen was question the garbage man still, trying to narrow down where the garbage had come from. He didn’t know, too much was picked up in one day. Already Castiel felt hopeless.

“Face beaten, scarred, almost unrecognizable. Hands burned and crippled, shriveled to the point where we wouldn’t be able to get prints. I can only tell this was a girl because there are substantial injuries to both her genitalia and rectum.” Jo sighed, “She’s just a child, she shouldn’t of had to suffer like this.”

“Sick Fuck.” Castiel hissed.

Rufus yanked Castiel up, “You have work over with your partner, Cas.”

Castiel sighed, body moving in the direction Detective Rufus Turner had forced him to. He was almost out of ear range when he heard Jo mention there were blonde hairs gripped in her mutilated fist. At least they had a lead.

**Forensic Lab**

**Tuesday, July 3rd**

**8:00PM**

Castiel didn’t enjoy the autopsy room anymore than the garbage dump. Where City dumps smelled like rotting flesh and food, the morgue smelled like antiseptic; death but cleaned to the point no bacteria could ever survive in the environment. Castiel felt suffocated but he tried not to complain. He had managed to calm down a little, a shot of whiskey before heading back to the station had done the trick, and it was enough to convince Captain Chuck Shirley to let him lead the investigation.

Balthazar wasn’t pleased, it wasn’t the first child abuse case they worked; the last had resulted in Castiel on desk duty for six months (two gunshot wounds to the hip and a court mandated detention for assaulting the criminal unlawfully) and left him partnered with grumpy old Samuel Campbell for those entire six months. However, Bal had gotten more than just a shot of whiskey in him while on duty and he wasn’t going to risk being outed by a vindictive Castiel, so he went along with it.

Jo was in her scrubs and looking incredibly forlorn, “The blonde hair we found in her hands was fake.”

“Fake?” Balthazar sighed.

“Synthetic hair from a wig most likely, I’ll send it to forensics to be sure. He was probably wearing it when he raped her. He didn’t notice it in her hands when he dumped the body.”

Castiel sighed, there went that lead, “What about dental records?”

“Unlikely,” Jo pulled them over to the x rays, a long row of desolate looking pictures of the child’s skeletal system. She pointed to one that looked like the girls jaw, clearly it had been broken at some point and the teeth were full of decay, “She’s got all kinds of cavities and rot in her mouth, probably never say a dentist in her life.”

“So we’re back to getting a facial reconstruction.” Balthazar sighed.

“No worries,” Jo shrugged, “We got the best forensic anthropologist around, he’ll get a facial recognition and probably try and get some finger prints too.”

Balthazar shrugged, “Anything we can actually go on.”

Jo sighed, leaning over the body with such a resigned face, “Nothing that won’t break your heart.” Castiel squinted at her, his unspoken request for more detail. Jo knew him well enough to retreat to the scraps of clothing found with the body. They were neatly folded like they were precious, “From the looks of her teeth, she liked chocolate and the tips of her shoes were scuffed.” Jo raised a pair of worn Mary Janes with the edges of the shoes scuffed up, “Marks like these means she liked to jump rope.”

Castiel and Balthazar frowned at Jo. She sighed again, “Her skeletal structure shows that she’s a caucasian female around five or six. She’s young, not in school, and spends most of her time playing outside. Hard to imagine a girl like this won’t be missed.”

“No missing persons that matches her description,” Ellen sighed, rubbing her forehead. They were crowded over her desk, the missing person results pulled up on her screen. Castiel felt the rage coming back again and to vent it, he crumpled up a sheet of paper and threw it across the room.

Captain Chuck Shirley sighed, rubbing his red eyes. Like usual, he’d ditched the tie and suit jacket, his blue shirt unbuttoned and untucked from his baggy pants. Like most of the precinct that were now working after hours, he was a wreck,  “Castiel I thought we were over this.”

 “Yes, Captain,” Castiel sighed, throwing himself back into his chair, the wood creaking under his weight, “So no one reported a missing girl in the last three months in the city, expand the search.”

Ellen shook her head sadly, he long fingers rubbing her temple, “Sweetie, I checked every record as far as I could and there is no missing persons fitting our victims description.”

Castiel clenched his fist and began grinding his teeth, “How do you not report your own child getting kidnapped.”

Rufus sighed from beside Ellen. The elder woman was trying to hid her tears, as a mother this was probably far more difficult then Castiel and his hang ups with child abuse. Rufus shrugged, “Maybe they didn’t want the authorities finding out what was happening to her.”

“Raped and killed in the home?” Castiel growled, “That’s...That’s...”

Balthazar grabbed his upper arm, his strong fingers holding Castiel back in his chair, “It’s just a suggestion, Cas. We don’t know what her home life was and without much of a lead, we can only assume certain things.”

“She’s too young.” Castiel sighed, he needed to be better, reign himself in more so he wouldn’t get benched while working the case.

“Right,” Ellen huffed, her breath fogging up her computer screen, “too young for school so teachers won’t know her, possibly too young for a day care or baby sitter. We need to get the face recognition.”

Chuck sighed, yanking at his collar, “Okay, we’re still waiting on Ash. He’s going to call when he’s got a sketch. Cas, Bal, get over to CSI, they’ve got a lead on the garbage that was found with the body. Ellen and Rufus will hang back here.”

“Alright,” Castiel and Balthazar scooped up their jackets and left for the crime scene lab. Castiel practically ran to Balthazar’s black mustang, forcing the man to speed the block and a half to the crime lab. Upon entering the cold, grim building, they were assaulted with the smell of garbage. The lead examiner, a busty brunette with a sour look on her face met them at the secured door.

“Gentlemen,” She hissed, “So your responsible for stinking up my lab and forcing me to work through the night.”

“Ruby,” Balthazar grinned, leaning into her space, “Good to see you fully clothed.”

“Shove it Balthazar,” The small brunette punched him in the shoulder. Castiel frowned at their interaction, confused by Balthazar clear intimacy with a fellow precinct member. Castiel had never met Ruby Marshall, Director of Crime Scene Investigation Lab but he’d heard of Balthazar’s ‘hot date’. Castiel couldn’t see Balthazar’s interest though maybe it was because the brunette reminded him too much of his cat, who was probably raising hell now. 

“So,” Balthazar looped his arm around Ruby’s and walked in, Castiel following quietly behind, “Do you have anything for us?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Ruby sighed, taking through an array of clear rooms filled with rows of lab equipment and personnel until they reached an open area covered in trash, “We managed to centralize the garbage. It’s an array of used cotton balls and broken acrylic, some fish bone and product waste, and finally fast food wrappers.”

“So an area that has a shared dumpster with a nail salon, a market and a fast food restaurant.” Balthazar frowned, “That doesn’t help, Ruby.”

“It does when all of them were found with church bulletins and pamphlets from St. Charles Borromeo Church.” She pulled a torn pamphlet for Sunday Night, all men church group with the St. Charles logo on the front, “Does that narrow down your neighborhood?”

Balthazar grinned, Castiel tried not to be too excited but from the way Ruby was grinning, he was probably showing his glee, “Excellent Ruby! Babe, I love you.”

She glared at him, “Don’t call me babe! And you should go secure the area, start hunting for more clues relating to the girl.”

“Thank You, Ruby,” Balthazar opened his phone and dialed the chief. 

Ruby looked mighty pleased with herself, “Go catch that son of a bitch.”

He smiled, “Thank you.”

Balthazar sighed, “Well, they’ve got the neighborhood secured but there’s not much we can do. Chief says to get home and start again at daylight.”

Castiel frowned, “No, we should find the bastard now.”

Balthazar grabbed his shoulder, guiding Castiel back to the car, “No, I’m taking you home. You’re going to go to sleep and I’ll get you in the morning.”

Castiel frowned but agreed. Balthazar dropped him off at his lonely little apartment very early in the morning. Ruby was asleep on the couch, nothing more than a golden fluffy amidst blue cushions and black pillows. Castiel passed her, taking his clothes off as he did. He took a cold shower, too tired to wait for the heat, dried himself with a towel he found on the floor and fell into the messy bed, naked. He groaned, realizing he’d left his phone in the living room. He stumbled back over to the living room, finding his phone next to his pants. He set it down on the nightstand and fell back to sleep.

**Forensic Lab**

**Wednesday, July 4th**

**5:00am**

 Both Castiel and Balthazar yawned as they walked to the forensic lab of renowned anthropologist, Ashland Smith. The man apparently had finished his facial reconstruction and had a flyer put together for them at 4 am. He had called Chuck right when he finished and since Castiel was the only to pick up when the Captain rang, it was Balthazar and Castiel that had to race down to get the flyers.

It was so early in the morning that the only people who could possibly be there would be Castiel, Balthazar and the crazy Dr. Ash that was locked away in his secluded lab. They could hear loud music coming from said room, the only noise in the entire building beside them.

 “I hope this forensic anthropologist is as good as Jo and Ellen suggested.”

Balthazar smiled, “I heard he’s better.”

They came to the room, the music loud and hurting Castiel’s ears. He frowned, his brow starting to hurt from all the sudden stress. Balthazar rapped on the door twice before a shout came through the music, “Come in!”

Balthazar opened the door, the music, classic rock in roll blasted through the halls before the man inside turned it down. The man in question could barely be considered a medical professional at all. He had the bright white lab coat but the sleeves were torn all the way up to his shoulders, his sandy hair was in a long mullet, tied by a skull bandana. He smelled of cheap beer and pot, “What’s up, homies?”

Balthazar slapped him on the back of his head, “Ash, you’re making a bad first impression on our detective friend.”

Castiel sniffed idly at the room. He did not like the scientific end to his detective worked, he liked the details they provided, he liked learning about the facts through the human body and remnants of the scene, but he always had a phobia of the labs, the hospital rooms, the doctors. It steamed from childhood trauma that he’d rather not speak of and he forced his mind not to think about it. It said something for his dedication to the case that he could withstand two lab rooms in a matter for 24 hours. Ash, the forensic specialist just smiled a loopy, half-there grin, “Ah yes, Detective ‘I’m afraid of anti-septic’, welcome to the Lab.”

Castiel frowned, “Tell me you have something.”

Ash grinned, waiving a flyer around, “Hot off the presses and just for you!” He handed Castiel a flyer, a large image of a beautiful little girl. She had wide green eyes that added a heartbreaking charm to the picture. Her blonde hair tumbled down both sides from two ponytails. Ash’s interpretation of the little girl was a charming child too young to have died. She wore a reconstructed version of the school uniform they found with her remains. Castiel felt his heart sink, “She’s looks so innocent.”

“Meet Cherish Doe,” Ash smiled, “Femur tells us she can’t be any older than six, body had barely started to shift into puberty.”

“Any prints?” Balthazar pulled the flyer from Castiel’s grasp and looked at the girl, “She’s beautiful.”

Castiel took back the photo as Ash cleared his throat, “I’m working on it.” They both looked at him. He heaved a dramatic sigh and said, “You’re not going to like it.” They continued to wait for his response. Ash moved to a small box on the counter behind Castiel. He opened it up to reveal a hand inside a jar, “I’m soaking the hand. Hopefully it will inflate and we’ll be able to pull a print.”

“You dismembered her?” Castiel grabbed Ash’s lab coat. The anthropologist had enough sense to put the jar on the counter before he dropped it. Balthazar pulled the two apart, pushing Castiel back to the exit.

Ash fixed his coat, “Dude, for scientific purposes, I had to extract a piece of evidence for further examination.”

“You-!”

“Cas,” Balthazar sighed then grabbed onto the ends of Castiel’s overcoat and pulled him to the door, “I think we have enough, let’s go make copies of the flyer, yeah?”

Castiel growled but followed Balthazar out of the lab anyways.


	2. Part Two

**Jude Part Two  
**

  
  


**St. Charles Borromeo Church**

**Wednesday July 4th**

**10:00AM**

The cathedral placed in the center of the projects was a towering brick and cement building that loomed over the run down neighborhood. There were twin peaks of gray cement on either side of the main entrance, another tall and pointed section with a stain glass shaped like teardrops with bright colors in the center. Both towers were painted in smeared gang signs and grafitti, the cement stairs leading to the entrance had blood stains and melted candles on it. And it was clear that the grand wood doors were locked from the inside.

When Balthazar and Castiel had knocked, a whisper from the other side told them to go around to the side of the building to enter. The climbed a few of the surrounding shrubbery to come to a steel door hidden on the side of one of the towers. A young woman was there, face startled by the presence of police, “M-may I help you?”

Castiel flashed his badge quickly and Balthazar smiled, “We’re following  a lead, Miss. Would your head priest happen to be home?”

“Yes, Father Azazel,” She smiled softly, “Come in.”

The entered the small service hallway. They were led around the main sanctuary to a small office behind the altar. The place was covered in crosses and paper flyers for all sorts of church meetings and fundraisers. Castiel even spotted a few anti-gay picket signs. Balthazar snorted beside him, “It appears I’m not welcome here.”

“You don’t know that they don’t like gay people,” Castiel whispered, “They’d probably hate you more for the multitude of sex you have, not just your choice in partner.”

“Ah,” Balthazar laughed, “The old which is worse, a strictly gay man who has no sex or a bi-sexual that has too much.”

“A harlot you mean.” Castiel muttered as they finally entered the office, the priest bent over a giant bible and decade old computer.

“You flatter me, Cas.”

“Father Azazel,” She called. The man raised his head to them. He was sickly with a pale face and eyes that were sunken in and jaundice. He was a man weighed down by stress and life. He probably hadn’t had a good nights sleep in years. He priest collar was undone, the white band laid at his exposed elbow. He stood quickly, revealing his pants were lose and his shirt was askew, “You have visitors.”

“Ah,” He smiled, a smarmy, greasy grin, that didn’t seem to fit a man of the cloth, “A couple of new comers? I hope your brothers.”

Balthazar laughed and laid his arm around Castiel’s shoulders, “Partners actually.”

There was a moment where the priest gave them a pointed look before Castiel pulled his badge from his belt and showed it to the priest, Balthazar pulled aside his suit jacket to reveal is own badge, “We have some questions about the neighborhood.”

“Yes?” He frowned, fixing his clothing and putting on his collar.

Castiel pulled some of the flyers they had made at the station, he handed them to the woman first, “Have you seen this girl around?”

The woman frowned, “She looks familiar but not enough that I could say ‘yes’ or ‘no’. We have many blonde little girls that come to bible study, none that look exactly like this.”

Castiel handed a single flyer to the priest for inspection, “Any that haven’t been around for the last three months at least.”

The woman frowned, “Then definitely I have never seen her before, if she’s been missing that long.”

“We have a few men passing around flyers in the neighborhood,” Balthazar smiled flirtatiously, the woman blushed, “I don’t suppose you could post some in the church, maybe around the outside with our police men.”

She nodded, “Yes, sir.”

Father Azazel frowned at the image, “It’s an odd picture, too perfect.”

“It’s a computer rendition of what we think she might look like.” Balthazar stated, “We found the body of an unknown young girl, age six, caucasian and we believe she is from this neighborhood.”

“Awfully cute to be from a neighborhood like this.” He sighed.

“Her beaten body was found in a dumpster not far from here. Some of your bulletins were found with the body.” Castiel frowned, “She fits the description of a girl from a low income family. Her shoes were worn, teeth were bad and we haven’t found anything in the missing persons database.”

Azazel nodded along, “I don’t recall seeing her.”

“Then maybe a man that would have been with her. She had blonde fibers in her hand, anyone wear a cheap toupee?” Balthazar grinned.

Azazel laughed, “Heavens no, none that would have the strength to steal a little girl. My parish is mostly african americans and latinos anyways, too ethnic for a blonde wig.”

“Then maybe someone has been suspicious, this is a school too, right?” Castiel waited for Azazel to nod, “Maybe a guy that circles the neighborhood a little too much.”

“No,” Azazel frowned, eyes narrowing, “There is nobody like that. You can check the neighborhood. We have no registered sex offenders, no missing children. We have gang bangers and violence, spousal abusers, drug addicts, and alcoholics, all of which I hold meetings for rehabilitation in this very church. There is no one in my parish who could kill a girl.”

Castiel frowned, his instincts telling him otherwise. Father Azazel seemed tense, angry like he was being accused at this moment, which was hardly the case. Castiel put in his mind to investigate Father Azazel, check for any sexual complaints of his own. The father played with his collar before confronting the men, “I think its time for you to go. I have many things that need my attention.”

They walked out with Father Azazel, all the way to the front end of the church through the sanctuary. He unlocked to the chains around the handle and opened it slightly for Balthazar and Castiel to squeeze through, “I’m sorry, gentlemen. I told you there is nothing here for you to find.”

“I beg to differ, Father.” Ellen smiled from the other side of the door. She was in a worn button down blouse and gray pants, both stained with garbage and she smelled of rubbing alcohol. She held up a plastic evidence bag, a sexually explicit gay men’s magazine addressed to one Alastair Ricardo was inside. Ellen grinned, “Rufus found this and some receipts wrapped up with some bloody sheets, all from an Alastair Ricardo.”

“Oh dear,” Father Azazel frowned at the evidence bag, “That can’t be right.”

“Could be planted,” Castiel frowned. 

Ellen shook her head, “Perp tried to hide them, some were torn up, some shredded all in different trash bags but the same dumpster.”

  Balthazar turned to the priest,“Father Azazel, did you know this man?”

The father bit his lip before turning to the two officers. He eyed Castiel but answered, “He is one of my parishioners, he that lives in that building,” Father Azazel pointed to a grand stone complex just behind the shared nail salon and burger joint. The entrance was a small alleyway that separated the nail salon from the family owned market shop, a dumpster was taped off inside the alley, “He was absent from Church group Sunday night, and he’s always at church group sunday night.”

Castiel nodded, “Night before garbage day. What floor?”

“The fifth,” Father Azazel frowned, “Apartment 553. I visited him last night when he didn’t come. He said he wasn’t feeling well.”

“He answered the door?” Castiel frowned.

“Well no, he shouted through the door,” Father Azazel sighed, rubbing his wrinkled temples, “He said it might be contagious, didn’t want me to catch it. He also said he’d just got done taking a shower, wasn’t fully clothed when I knocked. But he could never do this. He’s a nice man.”

Balthazar frowned, “Has he been around children? Have any children?”

Father Azazel shook his head, “Never seen one in the apartment. He’s had a rough time officers. His wife left him and the church is all he has. I know him, he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

There was a moment of silence before Castiel stepped out of the church, “We still need to talk to him. Ellen,” He gestured to the woman, “Stay with the priest, we may need his testimony.”

She nodded, handing Castiel the magazine and pulling out a pen and paper, “Father, why don’t we step inside?”

They entered the church while Balthazar and Castiel crossed the street to the apartment complex. Balthazar fingered the gun at his hip, “Let’s go shake him down.”  

The apartment was much the same as everything else in the projects, loud, crowded and dirty. There was an array of children, infants screaming from inside rooms, children running down the hall. Most of the doors were closed, a few families were shouting across the hall from each other. They quieted when Castiel and Balthazar passed by them, retreating back into their decrepit apartment. 

They reached room number 553, very aware of the fact that the hallway had gone silent. The door had an array of scuffs, bullet holes and peeling paint across it, not unusual for a building like this. Balthazar tapped on the door loudly, his fist bending the weak wood back more.

“Mr. Ricardo!” Balthazar shouted, “Police.”

They waited a moment, Castiel with baited breath. There was stomping inside the apartment, a loud thud and then Castiel heard it. There was a scream, a wail ripped from a small body and it scared Castiel down to his core. The pervert was working over another one. He heard the snap of a belt, a deep male voice shouting something derogatory but Castiel didn’t have the time to make sense of the shouting. He only knew that he was busting down the door, cocking his gun and shouting at the man to drop whatever was in his hand.

Alastair was a tall, skinny man with deep set blue eyes and short cut red hair. He gripped a belt in his right hand, raised above his head. He wore baggy clothing, worn work shirt that fell off his thin body. His jeans were torn, partially bloody and unzipped. He snarled at Castiel, body taut as if he was ready to strike. Castiel hadn’t hesitated, didn’t even look to the cowering body beneath Alastair, he simply charged.

The butt of Castiel’s gun made a loud, satisfactory thump against Alastair’s skull. Alastair tumbled to the ground, shouting as he did but Castiel did not hold back. He straddled Alastair’s curled up body, pummeling him with blows from his clenched fist and the butt of his gun. There was shouting, cries but it was hard to tell if they were in rage or pain, if they were Alastair or himself and then Balthazar and another cop were dragging him away from a half beaten and writhing Alastair.

“Castiel!” It was Rufus, shouting from the door and trying to keep the crowd of onlookers from witnessing police brutality. Castiel was calm then, his body lose and pliant in Balthazar’s arms, his focus was on the form that had coward beneath Alastair and his rage. It was a child, a girl and a pretty pink costume dress, the kind little 6 year olds beg their mother’s to wear out so they can show off to their friends. She had bright blonde hair, an abundance of it that fell around thin shoulders and covered her face. She was crying loudly, shaking uncontrollably and Castiel’s heart bled. He slipped from Balthazar’s grasp and neared her.

“Hello,” He touched her shoulder gently. She jumped, leaping to her feet and brandishing a knife. Castiel raised his hands, murmuring lowly to her, “Hang on.”

“Don’t touch me!” She cried, face scrunched up in rage and fear. Her face was bruised, a mark across her cheek in the shape of a hand. There was a day old bruise across her neck, finger marks along her wrist. The bastard had been hitting her for a very long time, “Don’t touch me.”

“Hello,” Castiel murmured, trying his best to be gentle, soft. He smiled softly, a look his father had said would scare the poop out of children. Castiel fished around his belt buckle, seeking his badge. In a neighborhood like this, even children were skeptical of adults. It would be best to sooth her by showing her he was trusted authority. He was too panic stricken to realize he’d held it upside down to her. But the girl relaxed, “Look, I’m a cop. Put the knife down.”

She softened, her grasp on the knife eased until she dropped it. With her face relaxed, Castiel could see a small button nose, rosy cheeks, a splatter of freckles. She looked like Cherish Doe, so incredibly alike that Castiel was sure Cherish Doe had come back to life to seek her revenge. The mysterious blonde sniffled then ran into his arms, wrapping them around his neck and cried. He stroked her back lightly, shushing her softly, “It’s alright. I’m here.”

Alastair was cuffed and dragged out by Rufus, Balthazar clearing the path for him. The cop that had aided in pulling Castiel away was taping up the crime scene. Castiel scooped up the little girl and carried her out, hand on the back of her head to prevent her from looking around. She fell asleep in his arms before he had the chance to ask who she was. Castiel eased into Balthazar cruiser and fell asleep with her.

**St. Mercy Hospital**

**Wednesday, July 3rd**

**2:00PM**

The Emergency Unit of the hospital ward was a familiar sight to Castiel. He sat in his same waiting chair, no more than a worn piece of brown cloth and aged wood, hidden away in the far corner of the lobby. It was strategically placed in front of the door that led to the emergency ward, he could see the bustle of nurses from the beyond the double doors, could see doctors and nurses with their metallic clipboards coming into the lobby and leaving swiftly. Castiel’s hope died with every passing minute as he waited for Doctor Rachel to come out. The girl had passed out in his arms and hadn’t made a sound since. Castiel was afraid, afraid he was too late, afraid that he hadn’t been and she just didn’t want to wake up.

He sat there with a cold coffee in one hand, his knee bouncing, terrified of the doctor’s impending results but fearful he’d never learn them either. He was alone in this one, Balthazar had followed the EMTs who took Alistair to another hospital to recover. His partner had warned him, told him to stick by the girl because the Captain was not going to want to see him in the precinct. So Castiel stayed here, waiting for the doctor to announce her final diagnosis.

“Detective Castiel,” Doctor Rachel, head doctor of the morning shift at St. Mercy was a voluptuous but stiff blonde with cool gray eyes. She liked Castiel enough, enough to not give him a hard time when he came in exhausted, dehydrated and waiting to interview a victim. Castiel stood up as she approached, her face grim, “She’s asking for you.”

Castiel exhaled, “She’s alive?”

“As much as a thing in her condition can be,” Rachel sighed and took Castiel by the elbow, leading him through the large double doors and down the bright hallway to the girl’s room, “She’s malnourished, she may have been starving for weeks now and she been beating through the entire time too.”

Castiel gulped, he had to know but did not want to ask, “Any signs of sexual assault?”

Rachel paused, steps halting for the tiniest of seconds. It was enough to understand without her having to say so. Castiel felt enraged, vision blinded by her reaction. She clutched his elbow tightly, “Nothing that she couldn’t survive, Castiel.”

He turned to her, pulling her to the wall to avoid the rush and flow of hospital traffic, “Meaning?”

“Some vaginal tears, several weeks old and her hymen was torn but not all the way through.” Rachel sighed, “It would have been more uncomfortable than painful. There wasn’t any male anatomy involved. She was penetrated by something much smaller; fingers, pens, something that is Phallic but not necessarily a penis. And it never completely penetrated her.”

Castiel sighed, “She’s still a virgin.”

Rachel nodded, “Yes, she’s still a virgin and penetration only accord in the vaginal region.There’s some bruising around her hips from someone holding her down, they’re faded but that would have been the most painful part.”

Castiel nodded, “It’s consistent with Cherish Doe. We caught the bastard and we have a live witness to prove it.”

Rachel frowned, “I can’t say that for sure.” Castiel glared at her, “The last of the evidence of rape is over five weeks old, her starvation and dehydration began three weeks ago. It’s like she came from a completely different household.”

Castiel frowned, “A completely different style of abuse. Do you think she was in foster care?”

Rachel took Castiel’s arm and led him to the last room in the hall, “I’m believe this girl has been in the hospital for 5 and half hours, two of which she’s been awake and she’s only been asking for the ‘policeman who saved’ her.”

Castiel heaved a large sigh as they stepped over the threshold of the girl’s hospital room. It had been long enough that word would have circulated in the neighborhood, Alistair arrested, the girl taken into custody. If a family member hadn’t stepped forward yet, they could conclude Alistair as her only living relative or she had none. He turned the corner, eyes following the straight path to the girls bedside.

She had a large room, populated monitors, tables, chairs, and nurses. The bed was a space away from the window, the panel opened and letting in some of the cool breeze, curtains billowing softly. A single chair was beside the bed, next to the window, angled to face the girl. Her other side had two nurses, one monitoring her IV, the other asking her questions, all of which went ignored. The girl’s vibrant green eyes looked out the window, solid, strong and patiently waiting for something to happen. Her blonde curls were tied back in a low ponytail, her bruised arms exposed from the pink smock. Her jaw, though bruised and puffy from Alistair’s last hit, was defined, turned up in a way that seemed like this girl was strong, that Alistair had been beating defiance out of her.

“Sweetheart,” Rachel spoke softly, “Detective Castiel is here to see you.”

Her eyes moved from the window to Castiel, suddenly alight with pure, innocent joy. She smiled, a baby tooth on her left side missing, “Mr. Policeman!”

He smiled at her and circled the bed to sit in the chair next to the window. She follow his movements, her small body shook with unbridled joy and she finally eased when he sat beside her and took her hand, “Hello. My name’s Castiel.”

“Castiel.” She repeated, cheeks a light pink that revealed tiny spatters of freckles. The two nurses, a stalky man with an innocent face and a serious blonde watched with intense curiosity.

“She hasn’t said a word,” The male nurse frowned, “Poor girl wouldn’t even tell us her name.”

“I don’t trust you!” She hissed at them before turning to Castiel, “Castiel is my best friend. He saved me.”

Castiel smiled, “That’s right We’re best friends. But you have to be nice to these nurses, too. They want you to get better. What’s your name?”

She bit her puffy lips, mulling over something before she gripped his hand tighter and muttered, “Judith.”

Castiel smiled, “That’s a pretty name.”

“But don’t call me Judith,” She frowned, “Daddy calls me Jude. So you should call me Jude.”

Castiel nodded, “I will call you Jude. Where’s your father?”

The blonde fell back against the bed, bright eyes following every shift Castiel made, “Daddy went away after Mommy went to heaven. He said he’ll be back when he feels better. He kept me with Grandpa.”

“Is that...” Castiel hesitated, “Is that the man who...”

“No!” She shouted, the heart rate monitor spiking, “No! That demon was temporary, until Daddy comes back!” Castiel shushed her softly, his free hand stroking the top of her head. She smiled softly, eyes closing and body relaxing, “Daddy use to do that to me too. Will you be my new daddy?”

Castiel sighed, an ache deep in his heart wanted him to say ‘yes’. This girl needed him, was clinging to him and it was Castiel’s duty to protect her. At least until he could get ahold of her father. He ran his fingers through her hair lightly, untangling a few knots as he did. He smiled softly down at her, ready to that he was here to take her home. He was interrupted by Rachel digging into his shoulder and pulling him away from the girl. Jude frowned deeply, face turning sour as the blonde pulled Castiel into the hallway. Jude reached out for Castiel then began to scream when she realized he’d stepped out of her grasp. Her face turned dark and she began thrash and cry for Castiel, her tubes pulling out quickly. The male nurse pinned her to the bed while the blonde injected a sedative into the IV. 

“Castiel,” Rachel hissed once they were in the hallway, “I know what you’re thinking and it needs to stop.”

Castiel shrugged her grasp off, “What?”

“You were about to promise that girl you’d take her home.” Rachel frowned, “I know it, I know you. You’re a sucker for big green eyes.” Castiel wanted to argue but Rachel did know him. They’d gone to school together, graduated together. She knew his type and green was his greatest weakness, next to helpless people, “She is going to be in the hospital until she gains enough weight to be considered healthy and then she is going to go back into the foster care system as the government mandates.”

“But the foster care is how she got here.”

“It’s the law.”

Castiel sighed, “I’ll demand custody.”

“How?!” Rachel frowned, “You have no legal rights, you’ve never had a child and besides her sudden and very unhealthy attachment to you, you have no leverage in court.”

“But I’ve got Crowley.” Castiel nodded, “And he’ll get me in.”

“Yeah,” Rachel frowned, “After you sell left arm and your soul.”

Castiel took her hands in his, “I’ll take care of it and I’ll protect her. Keep her in the hospital as long as necessary.”

Rachel sighed, hesitating for just a moment before she conceded, “What’s got you hooked on this girl, Castiel?”

He smiled, hugged her tightly and moved back to the room, “I honestly can’t say. I feel drawn to her for some reason.” He shrugged, “Maybe you’re right and I’m a sucker for green eyes.”


	3. Part Three

**Jude Part Three  
**

  
  


**Interrogation Room**

**Wednesday, July 4th**

**3:00PM**

Alistair was a slime ball. He sat still, unmoving in the interrogation room at the precinct, smiling like the bird that caught the worm instead of a man under arrest for child abuse. He had been out of the hospital for an hour now, having regained consciousness and been stitched up enough to be released. Balthazar had said that it took some bribery and convincing for the doctor to release him into police custody. After all, Castiel had beat the man into unconscious and he was sure there had to be a few broken bones. Castiel assumed that meant that somewhere a doctor was lying in a break room, completely sated.

Castiel tried not to hate him.

Balthazar was now in the room with the skeletal man, sitting opposite him at the steel table. Balthazar was the image of relaxed, half reclining in the matching metal chair. He was looking at Alistair but he was faced away from the observation window where Castiel was now. Alistair was facing the window now, a proud smile on his face, dull eyes boring into Castiel’s.

“They’ve been like that for an hour,” Captain Chuck sighed, watching Castiel as he stared Alistair down, “Balthazar introduced himself, Alistair did too and then both stopped talking. I think he’s waiting for you.”

Castiel didn’t speak but he clenched his fists and jaw. Captain Chuck sighed, resting his hands on his hips, “Balthazar told me what happened in that building.”

Castiel glared at his own reflection, “And?”

Captain Chuck leaned his forehead against the cool one-sided window, “And if you cross any line on more time, I’ll bench you.” Castiel nodded, “I mean it, Castiel. I know what cases like this does to you, I will not have you breaking the rules and ruin another case.”

Castiel bit his lip to the point it bled then turned to his boss, “Yes, Captain,” He pulled away to enter the interrogation room and turned back to Chuck, “Get Crowley over here. I need to discuss legal terms with him.”

Chuck frowned, “Castiel...”

But the detective entered the room and shut the steel door behind him. Alistair’s eyes slithered over to Castiel and his smile widened, “Detective, I see you have joined us finally.  How is the little angel.”

Castiel slammed his hand down on the table, “How long has she been with you?”

Alistair eased back into the chair, “Well I see manners haven’t improved much these days. My name is Alistair, who are you?”

“It’s not important,” Castiel hissed, he took the manilla folder from Balthazar, containing Cherish Doe’s autopsy reports and image. Castiel tossed it onto the table and lined Cherish Doe’s images together, “Did you pick her up after you broke this one?”

Alistair glanced down at the photos. He tilted his head, shifted his hips then pushed the autopsy photo away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about officer.” 

Castiel hissed, “This girl was raped, murdered and dumped. She was beaten beyond recognition and Jude was close.” Balthazar gave Castiel an odd look but allowed Castiel to continue. Castiel leaned over Alistair, “She was going to be your next victim, wasn’t she?”

Alistair hissed back at Castiel, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You screwed up!” Castiel pushed Alistair away, “We found your dirty magazines with a blanket that had Cherish Doe’s blood on it.”

“You can’t prove that.” Alistair rolled his eyes.

Balthazar pulled out the pile of receipts stuffed in an evidence bag, “Your name, your finger prints all wrapped up in the same garbage bag in the same dumpster.”

“I was framed!” Alistair shouted.

“You are abusing and raping girls,” Castiel growled, “we have the evidence.”

“I’ve never seen her before in my life,” Alistair huffed.

  
“Who was she?”

“I don’t know!”

Castiel latched onto Alistair’s shirt collar, “Who was she?”

Alistair pulled Castiel’s hands off, “I don’t know who she is. She’s probably some stray who ended up in the hands of the wrong man.”

“With the exact same finger prints as you,” Castiel growled, “Who used your credit card and your bed sheets!” He poked Alistair in the shoulder, “At this point we have detectives coming through all your dirty laundry. I bet they’re going to find the girl’s bloody panties and your semen. And Jude’s going to tell us all about the sick things you did to her and the other girl.”

“Bet it will get you all excited detective,” Alistair grinned, “After all, I hear little girls get you all riled up.”

Castiel went blind again, white hot rage overtaking his common sense. He took Alistair to the ground first, one single closed fist to the head. He tried to get on him, to punch his gut, his groin but Balthazar had him by the collar and Chuck was busting in before Castiel could get another shot. Alistair was holding his head and laughing, “That’s assault officer!”

“You’re benched, Castiel.” Captain Chuck hissed, “get out of here.”

Castiel brushed passed him and back to his desk, the captain following him closely. Chuck actually pushed him passed the desk and to his office, Rufus and Ellen watching quietly. Castiel entered, grabbing whatever was closest, a book end, and throwing it across the room. Chuck pushed down on his shoulder, forcing him into a chair.

“You need to control yourself, Castiel.” Chuck loomed over him, forcing his hand down on Castiel, “This anger is going to ruin you, this case and Jude.”

Castiel exhaled, “I’m sorry. He made me mad.”

Chuck sighed, “Yeah, I got that.” The captain shuffled around his desk and eased down into his leather chair, “I don’t know why either, Cas. You’re highly qualified, professional and emotionless yet we get a case like this with children and you lose your cool. You need to control it better. I won’t be able to recommend you for temporary custody if you keep doing this.”

Castiel sat up straight and looked at the captain, “What?”

“At this moment,” Chuck smiled softly, “My friend, who is the best in her field for child psychology, is interviewing Judith. She’s going to evaluate her for Reactive Attachment Disorder and advise a judiciary council also filled with friends that the best method for recovery for Judith would be housed with someone familiar, someone she has attached herself to, you.”

Castiel gulped, “How...How did you find out?”

“Rachel called me,” Chuck sighed, “Told me about the outburst, about how you clung to her just as tightly as she clung to you.”

Castiel looked away, shoulders heaving as he tried to calm down then turned back to the captain, “It was unprofessional.”

“Absolutely.”

“And out of line.”

“No questions about it.” Chuck smiled, “But that little girl needed it. And she needs you again.” Castiel smiled to himself, muttered a quiet ‘thank you’, “Besides, you’ll have plenty of time to babysit her when your doing nothing but paperwork.”

Castiel sighed, trying to hid his smile from beneath his hands. He relaxed in his seat, “Thank you, sir.”

Chuck shrugged, easing into the old chair behind his desk, “Don’t thank me for benching you. And we still have the problem of Alistair.”

“We have him on child abuse.” Castiel sighed, “It’s not a lot but its enough for us to find more evidence.”

“He’ll go to court and talk about your conduct,” Chuck sighed, rubbing his temple, “It doesn’t reflect well when the perp has as many bruises as the victim.”

There was a long bought of silence, the two staring at each other from across the messy desk. Castiel turned to the crowded police floor, “So what do I do now? Do I pass around flyers for Cherish Doe, hoping for someone to recognize her?”

“I want to say yes but I’m sure you would still get into a fight,” Chuck sighed, “For now you should go home and child proof your bachelor pad of an apartment. Crowley will be here soon and he’ll figure out what we need to keep him in holding and Balthazar will watch him.”

Castiel stood and straightened his tie, “I’ll have to go grocery shopping. What do children like?”

Chuck laughed, “Hot dogs and mac and cheese.”

**Castiel’s Apartment**

**Wednesday, July 4th**

**5:00PM**

Castiel eased into his worn leather couch, ramen noodles cooling on the coffee table in front of him, a luke warm beer resting in his lose grasp. His spare room with his college futon was completed just a little while ago. The closet and drawers were empty, the room dusted, clean sheets and a good smelling pillow covered the worn futon. It wasn’t much but possibly enough for a girl who had nothing. 

Everything breakable was high up and there was a child safety lock on the refrigerator to keep her from getting into the beer, his gun was stashed there as well. His boxers were still everywhere and the bathroom needed to be cleaned but he was hungry and tired, so Castiel eased back into the couch and turned on the news. 

He got a ring just as he finished dinner, the sound piercing the quiet of the apartment. He coughed and took the cordless receiver in his hand, “Hello?”

“Mr. Policeman!” Jude’s high pitched, excited voice filtered through the line. She sounded groggy and Castiel realized she must have just woken from the drugs, “The doctor said I can go home tomorrow.”

“That’s right,” Castiel smiled, “Tomorrow morning.”

“I don’t have a home though.” She sounded sad. Castiel sighed into the receiver, rubbing the space between his eyes. His eyes followed the newscasters, the volume on the tv too low to hear what they were saying.

“You do.” Castiel smiled, feeling the water gather in his eyes. Jude was far less reserved, breaking into large sobs around muttered ‘really?’s. Castiel laughed, “Really, I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning and take you home with me.”

“I want to go now,” She yawned.

“You should sleep,” He smiled, eyes watching the perky blonde speak. Suddenly there was a picture of Cherish Doe across his screen. Castiel stood, eyes wide in shock as Jude carried on a one-sided conversation on the other line. Castiel fumbled for the remote and turned up the volume.

“In recent news,” The blonde smiled, “Local authorities raided a small apartment complex in Harlem, rescuing a small girl in the process. This was all in an effort to find the identity of this girl, currently named Cherish Doe.” Castiel sat down, relief that Jude’s name hadn’t been released, Chuck and Rachel must have been keeping a tight lip on her identity, “The police still do not have any idea who she is and no one has stepped forward. Local priest, Father Azazel held a meeting earlier this afternoon regarding the Cherish Doe case,”

Jude was calling Castiel’s name through the phone, a call was coming in and it was beeping against his ear, but Castiel was focused on Azazel, talking to crowd of local residents and news crew, one of the flyers gripped tightly in his hand, “I’m appalled that no one has recognized this sweet, innocent girl. We, as a neighborhood need to come forward, need to protect this little girl and all of the other out there like her. If you know who she is, if you have any idea at all, please come forth. In honor of this girl, in hopes that even without a proper name, she is still loved in God’s eyes, we will have a candle light ceremony, just for her, in front of this church tomorrow night, starting at dusk. We hope to see you there and urge you to come forth to the police with any leads.”

“Shit,” Castiel muttered.

“Cas, you said a bad word!” Jude giggled tiredly over the phone.

“I’m sorry, Jude.” Castiel laughed, “Go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Sing me to sleep,” There was a rustle over the line and Jude’s voice was muffled for a moment before she seemed to relax again, “Daddy use to sing me to sleep.”

“I can’t sing, sweetheart.” Castiel fell to his side across the couch, resting his head against the pillow. 

Jude yawned through the phone, “Then hum, Mommy use to hum.”

Castiel smiled, “So did mine, when I was little.”

Castiel licked his lips, thinking for a moment before he began to hum, his low tenor vibrating across the phone. It was his mother’s favorite song and, as he was told many times by his father, had inspired her to escape her parents wrath, to actually live her life the way she had wanted. His parents had danced to it on their wedding day despite its unromantic and depressing nature. It had been his lullaby through his childhood, even after his mother died. And here Castiel was,  years later, humming ‘She’s Leaving Home’ to a stranger’s abandoned child while she tried to sleep in a hospital bed. He only stopped when the whole song was over and a female voice came through the line and said that she was asleep. 

Castiel sighed into the leather and waited for whoever was calling to leave a message. He suddenly felt very lonely in his tiny apartment.

**Precinct**

**Thursday, July 5th**

**8:00AM**

Castiel tapped his foot anxiously against the tile flooring. His dress shoe heel made an irritating clacking noise but Castiel was too nervous and excited to care. He was resting in his worn, wooden chair, elbow propped up and eyes watching the other members of the Special Victim’s Unit pace the floor. Balthazar yawned from his desk across from Castiel, a very tall cup of cough gripped in his hand.

“You know how many calls I have taken because of that frickin priest,” Balthazar sighed, “And that was after babysitting a narcissistic, homicidal freak all the way to Rikers.”

Castiel looked at his partner, “Alistair went to Rikers?”

Balthazar yawned again, “Crowley set his arraignment for three days from now over the girl’s abuse. You’re a witness so I’d work on your excuse for kicking his ass twice. The problem is that we can pin him on Cherish Doe’s murder.”

“What?” Castiel glared at his partner who just shrugged.

Ellen coughed, “Forensics came back, said that there wasn’t anything matching Cherish’s DNA in Alistair’s apartment. We got him on abusing Jude so at least he’ll be in jail for awhile but we need more on him for Cherish Doe’s murder.”

“Maybe we can ask the girl,” Balthazar sipped his coffee, “See if maybe she remembered Cherish Doe coming through the apartment?”

“No,” Castiel hissed, “I won’t put Jude in that position.”

“Jude?” Balthazar began but Ellen interrupted him.

“Okay ladies,” Ellen rubbed her temple, “What do we do about the vigil?”

“We should stake it out,” Rufus shuffled, organizing a stack of papers on his desk. The three looked at him with confused, tired looks. He frowned at them, “What? Basic psychology, how many pedophiles miss their own victims funerals?”

They were quiet once more before Ellen began to laugh, Balthazar joining her a beat after, “When did you become a psychologist?”

Rufus tried to fight a pout, “What? I got bored waiting in Pamela’s office one day. And it’s a pretty obvious pattern in this job.”

“So,” Balthazar grinned, “We stake out the priest’s candlelight memorial looking for a guy that’s a little too excited?”

“That,” Castiel shrugged, “Or we use some of the people’s descriptions in the neighborhood and compare them to some pedophiles we already have reported.”

“Who says he’s in the database though,” Ellen frowned.

“Then we go wider,” a voice, groggy with exhaustion and most likely some sort of recreational drug. Ash was standing behind Castiel, a battered and clearly homemade computer in his hand, “With this.”

“That?” Castiel frowned, “What is that?”

Ash approached the desk and set it down gently, “Only the state of the art facial recognition device.” He opened it up, revealing a screen that was attached to some camera. Balthazar’s tired face was plastered across the screen, a secondary screen was off to the side, neon green letters scrolling up very quickly, “See, it takes all the major identifiers of the face, compares it with all federal databases and anyone who has ever taken a photo and posted it online, including those horrible iphone quality images.”

Ellen laughed, “Ash you’re a genius. Now we just need permission to be there.”

Chuck approached them, the slimy, british DA beside him. J. Crowley was a snarky man that got the job done, hand in his tailored pant’s pocket. Chuck grinned, holding up a paper, “That won’t be a problem, they need security. Everyone get your uniforms on.”

The group dispersed, some returning to the numerous phone calls, others retreating to find their long forgotten police uniforms. Chuck pulled Castiel aside, “You are unfortunately going because we need people to be there, but you’ll be in the van with Ash.”

Castiel nodded, “Thank you, sir.”

Chuck sighed, “You’ll be back on desk duty tomorrow. Now go pick up that little girl, we’ve gotten three calls from her already.”

Castiel nodded, tried to hid his smile from Crowley, “Thank you, Chuck.”

**St. Mercy Hospital**

**Thursday, July 5th**

**12:00pm**

Castiel sat in the same chair in the far corner of the waiting room of the hospital. There was a cup of cooling coffee beside him and a half eating danish that one of the nurses had gotten him. He didn’t bother to smile, too worried, too antsy to be polite. The nurse was sympathetic enough to smile and walk away, leaving Castiel to glare at the double doors, waiting for Doctor Rachel to walk through with Jude. He’d spent the better part of the morning cleaning the apartment, buying food children would like and even driving to his father’s place to get some old clothes. They were worn, out dated and boys clothing to boot but they would be enough until Castiel could take Jude shopping.

That is, if they ever got out of the hospital. 

Castiel phone vibrated and Castiel held his breath, worried it might be another victim, “Hello?”

“Hey partner,” Balthazar’s cheery voice rang through Castiel’s poor speaker, “How’s limbo?”

“Boring.” Castiel heaved a sigh into the phone, “This is an endless waiting game.”

Balthazar laughed, “Seems we’re in the same boat. Alistair lawyered up.”

“Wonderful.”

“And,” There was an uproar of noise, papers shuffling on the other side of the phone before Balthazar spoke again, “In my hands is a charge for assault, dismissed because there weren’t any witnesses and you’re welcome,” Castiel could hear Balthazar’s grin from beyond the phone, “And a court order that you be removed from the case.”

“Yeah,” Castiel rubbed his neck, “Captain took care of that before the courts.”

Balthazar sighed, “It means while I’m out front in the heat of battle, my partner is going to be hiding out in the basement with clean hands.”

Castiel rolled his eyes, “You’re too dramatic, I’ll be in the van as another set of eyes. As long as I’m not involved in the initial arrest, I won’t ruin the case.”

“I know, buddy.” Balthazar sighed, “We’re meeting at the station 7 o’clock tonight. What will you do with the girl?”

Castiel didn’t want to admit his plan. He rubbed his jaw and tried to peek through the tiny crack of the two emergency doors. He heard Balthazar click his tongue through the receiver. The longer Castiel hesitated, the more Balthazar would put something together and find some horrible way to make Castiel embarrassed. Castiel muttered lowly, “I invited my father.”

“What was that Cassie?” Balthazar snickered.

“My father is going to watch her.” Castiel’s father, a widower in his early 50’s was a terrifying and strict appearing man. He owned a scrap metal shop outside of the city, drank hard whiskey and did not enjoy effeminate behavior. Which is why, when they had first been assigned partners on the force, Balthazar showed up at the scrap yard on Thanksgiving in a pink suit and matching boa. Every other meeting after had been an awkward blush fest for both Castiel and his father.

“Oh,” Balthazar shifted, his chair creaking, “Daddy Singer is in town? Maybe I should come over and check on the new Singer family.”

“You will not traumatize a small child just to get a rise out of my father.” Castiel growled, “And you should get back to work.” Luckily his other line began to ring, “I have to go.”

“Say ‘hello’ to Daddy for me!” Balthazar laughed as Castiel switched over to his other line. Before he had the chance, his father’s rough voice came over the line.

“You call this crap heap an apartment?” Castiel instinctively sat up straighter at the sound of his father’s voice, “You plan on brining home a child to this.”

“It’s temporary, Father.” Castiel murmured. There was a commotion rising behind the nurses station. A few were gathered tight around a phone and the numbers were growing. Castiel reached down for his gun, prepared for any surprises that might come through the doors.

“Don’t give me that crap,” His father growled, “If you’ve got a child coming over, you can’t have anything sharp lying around. And where’s the toys and books.”

“She isn’t going to be my daughter, Father.” Castiel stood up as the nurses crowded around the doors, “I’m taking care of her while we’re trying to put her kidnapper away.”

There was a rude snort, “We’ll see in a month when you file adoptions papers.”

“Father, I have to go.” Castiel neared the entrance, seeing figures bobbing rapidly from beyond the doors.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be here making this place presentable for a child.” His father disconnected and Castiel help but crack a smie. His father, a man who never wanted to be a father until he met Castiel’s mother, had had the hardest time coping with not being a grandfather when Castiel admitted he favored men. They’d had three very long and loud arguments before his father decided that grandchildren just weren’t in the picture. Castiel had felt guilty, ashamed for the longest time but it seemed all was forgiven now that he was bringing home a lost soul.

“I’ll see you at home.” Castiel muttered as the doors burst open and the small blonde ran right into Castiel’s arms. She squealed happily and held tight to his leg, “Hello, sweetheart.”

“Dr. Rachel said you’d pick me up,” Her bright green eyes were tearing up as she grinned into his pant leg, “I missed you so much, Castiel. I love you.”

Castiel eyed the blonde doctor who was frowning stiffly by the doors. Castiel looped an arm around Jude and squeezed her tight, “Yes, I’m taking to my apartment.”

Rachel walked up to Castiel, she bit her lip worriedly, “I’m very concerned of her attachment to you Castiel. I’m enforcing a weekly therapy session for her with your precinct’s therapist. And I highly encourage you to rethink taking her in. I don’t understand your actions, Castiel-”

“Rachel,” Castiel interrupted softly, squeezing Jude closer, “I’d like to take Jude home now. I’ll see you in a week.”

Rachel frowned, “And you’ll call me.”

Castiel nodded and guided Jude out of the hospital. She talked the entire way out, her free hand gripping the edges of the hospital gown she was given. Castiel smiled softly down at her, “We’ll buy you some clothes tomorrow. There is someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Who?” Jude grinned. Castiel moved her off his leg and took her hand tightly. They made it to the parking garage, to Castiel’s beat up Honda. Jude seemed excited when Castiel buckled her securely in the back seat. Her free legs kicked excitedly, her sandals falling off her feet.

“You’re going to meet my father.” Castiel got into the driver seat, “You’ll like him, he’s looking forward to meeting you.”  
  



	4. Part Four

**Jude Part Four  
**

  
  


**St. Charles Borromeo Church**

**Thursday, July 5th**

**10:00pm**

Azazel stood high on his podium, waving a picture of Cherish Doe with her bright smile and green eyes. Castiel felt sick at the likeness to his Jude. But Jude was more precocious in her smile, more mischievous. It was a smile that had Castiel’s bear of a father a pile of complacent goo in under two minutes. Castiel’s father was in love and attached already. He could only conclude that Jude was a weakness sent to the Singer family.

“So I heard you found a daughter,” Ash sighed, starring listlessly at the cameras that circled the open streets and staircase beneath the gothic church. Ellen passed by in her blue uniform, hair pinned up underneath a hat. She glanced up at the cameras before inspecting the crowds again. Ash clicked a button and the scenery on the cameras changed, focusing on the inner crowd cheering through the Priest’s speech.

Castiel focused on the center camera, a 40 inch monitor that was pointed to the group right in front of Azazel’s podium. They crowded around the bottom of the worn stairs where candles, flowers and a large poster of Cherish was placed.  Everyone in the immediate vicinity held a flyer of Cherish Doe, many were crying, the rest were hugging and then there was one man gripping her flyer and looking everywhere but the giant poster and the priest. 

Castiel concentrated on him. The picture was grainy and the man kept shifting, making the image jumpy. Castiel traced the line of the body, well defined beneath a bulky leather jacket and worn jeans. His hair was short, tight and militant, the jaw was sharp and strong. If he hadn’t been acting so suspicious, Castiel would have thought him handsome. Even with thoughts of this being the guilty accomplice, Castiel bit his lip and felt his pants tighten. Then he realized that he was in a tight area with Ash who was now staring at him, “You see something?”

Castiel pointed to the image on the screen, “Who is that?”

Ash came closer to the screen, watching as the man turned around to face the camera completely. He narrowed his eyes, following Castiel’s finger. He typed aimlessly, clacking at a few keys. Suddenly his eyes lit up and his fingers began to hit the keys at rapid speed. The camera focused on the man’s face. Castiel watched the man’s plump lips move rapidly, his green eyes crinkle with worry and fear. The man suddenly bit his lip, tongue peaking out to lick the edges. Castiel did the same.

Ash typed furiously, “He’s not in the database.”

Castiel frowned down at him, “What?”

Ash shrugged, “Relax, I’ll just have to expand the search. The search engine is only the convicted rapist of girls. Sometimes they aren’t convicted.”

Castiel frowned, “Not convicted. So we could be...”

Ash turned to face Castiel, “Dealing with a pedophile virgin. I’ll just grab anyone with a record. There is usually a minor crime before the big one.”

Castiel sighed, eyes focused on the man as he shuffled in and out of the main group of people. He was clearly looking for someone, eyes following people’s heads and faces, then children as they passed. Suddenly a woman came into view, latching onto the man’s arm. She was talking at a rapid pace, fingers flying with her words. Castiel gripped the table tightly, watching the man lean into the woman.

“I wouldn’t have thought it would be a man and a woman.” Ash snorted, “We’ve got some freaky threesome going on.” He typed away, gasping when the computer pulled the woman’s face up, “Look at this, Julia Wilson. Two counts of indecent exposure and sex with a minor.”

Castiel turned to Ash, “She slept with little girls?”

Ash laughed, “No, 17 year old boys. I pulled her from the full database. Wonder what she’s doing at a candle light vigil for a little girl though. That’s not a step women take.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes. He grabbed the walkie talkie on the desk and pulled it to his mouth, “Ellen, I’ve got my eye on a couple. I’m leaving the van.”

Ellen’s voice came over the speakers, “Is it our guy?”

“Don’t know yet. He looks suspicious. There’s a woman too, she’s got a record.” Castiel narrowed his eyes at the vision before him. The man wasn’t a typical child kidnapper and rapist, he was attractive, well built. The women in the area followed his movement, catching sight of his tight jeans and most likely perky ass. Castiel gulped, guilty that he was trying to catch a glance as well. 

“Where?” Ellen’s voice echoed in the van again.

“Over by the main stage, medium height woman, blonde hair, pink overcoat,” Castiel described watching as Ellen circled back around and got closer to the couple, “She’s next to a man, leather jacket, short cut blonde hair, green eyes.”

Ellen’s laughter interrupted him, “Handsome rugged features? Castiel, we’re not here to pick up men.”

Castiel blushed and put the walkie talkie back. Ellen was close now, crowded in by a few of the visitors. He waited until the woman left, chasing after a group of teenagers and flashing the flyer at them. Castiel could see Ellen catch sight of the woman and grab onto her upper arm so Castiel moved out of the van to confront the man.

The man was far more handsome face-to-face. His bright green eyes were jumping from person to person, he gripped the flyer in his long fingers and bit his puffy lips. He stealthy avoided the flyers and posters of Cherish Doe while at the same time looking at every child’s face in the crowd. The stranger shuffled from one foot to the other before Castiel managed to corner him.

“Sir,” Castiel muttered. Suddenly those bright green eyes fell on Castiel. They were wide, red rimmed and panic stricken. Castiel had to wonder if this was the face of a caught pedophile or a frightened parent, “Sir, can I help you?”

“I...” He bit his lip again and Castiel had to try and not follow the motion once more. He tried to put some distance between them but Castiel gripped the man’s bicep. The bright green eyes found Castiel again, “I lost my daughter.”

“Okay, we’ll find her,” Castiel stroked the man’s arm, his thumb caressing the tense muscles of the man’s upper arm. He had hoped the action was soothing for the stranger and not as creepy as Castiel felt it was. The action, at least, kept the man still, “We’ll go to the station and fill out a missing person’s report. Where did you last see her?”

“N-No,” The man began to step back again. He tried to pull away from Castiel’s grip but Castiel just pulled him further away from the crowd, closer to the van. The man’s wide eyes followed the path and he seemed to struggle more, “Not tonight. I didn’t lose her tonight.”

Castiel nodded along, trying to soothe the man with his grip though it didn’t seem to be working. Either he was the felon and was nervous that Castiel was a cop, or he was a fear stricken parent trying to find his child. When the man paused long enough, Castiel could see thick bags under the man’s eyes. His skin was taught and ashen like he hadn’t slept in several days. Castiel was beginning to doubt his instincts, “Okay, when did you last see her?”

“I...I don’t know,” He was jumping from foot to foot before shifting closer to Castiel. Or possibly Castiel was shifting closer, “A year, maybe two.”

“Okay,” Castiel lowered his hand to the man’s wrist, pulling him closer. He was startled by the heat the came from the thick body, “What’s your name?” The man didn’t respond, only tried to twist his wrist out of Castiel’s grasp. Castiel frowned, “Maybe you should come with me.”

The man pulled against Castiel harder, fire in his green eyes as he tried to get lose, “I don’t think so, buddy.”

“No,” Castiel frowned, “I mean, I need to ask more questions.”

Suddenly the man was out of his grasp, “You’re a cop.”

“A detective,” Castiel raised his hands, palms forward as if he were submitting to the stranger. When the man had shifted into a more relaxed stance, Castiel reached for his badge. He opened it and showed the shield to the man, “Detective Castiel Singer. I just want to help.”

“I’m looking for my daughter,” He reached into his back pocket and pulled a worn photo out. He inched closer to Castiel, free hand finding the badge while the picture was placed in Castiel’s outstretched hand, “I saw on the news, about Cherish Doe. She looks like my baby girl.”

Castiel looked at the photo in his hands. It was a bent and worn polaroid, the edges cut to fit into a wallet.  The background was a park, one Castiel had actually scene in this neighborhood, complete with gang signs and rusted jungle jim. The girl was in a polka dot dress, sandy with small chocolate stains around the pockets. The girl’s face was freckled, bright blonde hair a tangle of curls around a mischievous looking green. Her eyes were green, bright green and full of wonder. Castiel had to calm himself, convince himself that this girl wasn’t Jude. He exhaled loudly, then turned to the man with a soft smile. 

He pocketed his badge and handed the photo back to the man. The man gripped the photo tightly but left his hand hovering near Castiel’s. The detective took the opportunity to gently grab the man’s hand and offer just a little peace, “What’s her name?”

Suddenly there was a shout from across the park. Ellen had tackled the brunette, Julia Wilson to the ground, the woman was screeching about her child. Rufus pulled out his handcuffs and latched them against her wrists. That’s when the man yanked on Castiel’s grasp, “Let me go!”

“Calm down!” Castiel cried, Ellen coming to his rescue, “Let me help you.”

“I won’t go back!” The man began to scream, yanking on Castiel as hard as he could, “I won’t go back until I find her!”

“Calm down, sir.” Castiel was suddenly thrown to the ground, his hands still tangled in the man’s hands. The bulkier man fell to his knees, hovering over Castiel, his green eyes were wide and terrified. He could see Balthazar latching a pair of handcuffs to the man’s wrists and pulling him up as he continued to thrash and scream.

Ellen slipped her slim hand under Castiel’s arm and pulled him up, “Are you okay?”

Castiel heaved a huge sigh and looked at the crowd. Mostly everyone was curious but the Priest, Azazel, he was looking dead straight at Castiel, eyes blazing with some undefined fire. Castiel wasn’t sure what to make of the whole scene so he brushed the dirt from his sleeves, “What do you think that was about?”

Ellen shrugged and both returned to the van where Ash was to return to the precinct.

**Interrogation Room**

**Thursday, July 5th**

**11:00PM**

“I won’t talk to anyone except Detective Singer,” The man shouted, wrists chained down to the steal table. Balthazar sat across from him, rubbing his temples. Ellen was standing in the corner, eyes the one way mirror where Captain Shurley was standing with Castiel.

“Listen, sugar.” Balthazar huffed, I have been in these interrogation rooms for three days straight. I’m running on coffee and doughnuts. It would be really helpful if you cooperated with us.”

“Fuck you,” The man hissed, “You two are going to throw me back into that stupid home! I won’t go back without my baby. Detective Singer said he’d help me. I want to see him.”

Captain Shurley groaned from the other side of the mirror. Castiel was standing beside him, an exhausted looking Crowley right behind them. Crowley growled, “I thought the violent detective was off the case, why does this guy know him?”

Castiel glanced back at Crowley, “I was in the truck. He looked suspicious. I came out to ask him what was going on and he told me he’s missing his daughter.”

“Well,” Crowley shrugged, “Another case that you’ve fucked up. Good show, Singer.”

Chuck raised his hand, “Finger prints and DNA will show that’s he wasn’t anywhere near Cherish Doe.”

Castiel frowned, “How can you tell?”

Chuck raised the man’s wallet, confiscated during the initial pat down. He opened the wallet to reveal no cash, no cards but simply pictures. Five small, torn polaroids were stuffed in the free spaces. Each one were of the tiny blonde girl that Castiel was still trying to convince was not Jude, his Jude who was sleeping soundly at his apartment. There was a wooden coin stuffed into one of the free spaces and a laminated card that had several phone numbers on one side and a fancy script angel on the other. 

Chuck smiled, lost in deep thought, “He’s a recovering addict, somewhere close to finishing the program but probably not all the way there. The card is all the phone numbers, contacts of other recovering addicts who are working at whatever facility he came from. There’s no cash, no money, so I can guarantee he hasn’t been out longer than a few hours.”

“How does he know Julia Wilson then?” Crowley scoffed.

Rufus appeared with a tight grin. He’d been in the other interrogation room listening to Julia wail and cry, “She’s was in recovery too. She said she use to be a coke addict, been sober for six months, in rehab for seven.”

Crowley sighed, “Great, you’ve caught two recovering drug addicts and I have to let the child beater go.”

Castiel glared at the District Attorney, “What?”

Crowley sighed, “There are no finger prints in the apartment except your darling Jude’s, there’s no evidence of any prior crimes. In fact, Alistair Rodriguez is so clean he’ll actually win his assault case on you.”

Castiel gripped the edges of the table but Rufus was on him faster, “Uh, there’s more that you should know, Captain.”

Chuck handed Castiel the wallet and turned his attention to Rufus, “Yes.”

“Julia is missing a girl, a five year old named Ava.” Rufus sighed, “Julia and one of her little flings had a baby. She got fired and that’s how she ended up in the neighborhood, she sold her self to pay for the baby. Got hooked on crack after Ava was born. The father, a Johnathan Silvan, who was 18, took her in and demanded Julia go to rehab. We’re still trying to locate Johnathan.”

“Let me guess,” Chuck sighed, rubbing his temples, “She’s blonde, green eyes, freckles?”

Rufus waived a picture, “Behold Ava Wilson.”

The girl looked far more like Cherish Doe than Jude did. She was in a bathing suit, holding a stuffed panda. Her smile was shy and nervous, not the coy, proud grin of Jude. The picture was faded and bent, much like the other man. 

Rufus continued, “I asked her for anything like a lock of hair, finger prints. She had a clay hand print in her purse. Ash is taking it down now. He said that he should be able to match it to the hand.”

Chuck turned back to the room, watching Balthazar begin to pace, “I hope not.”

The door to the man’s room opened and Balthazar and Ellen heaved a great sigh. Balthazar hissed, “He wants to speak to you, Detective Singer.”

The group glanced to Crowley who heaved a dramatic sigh and waved his hand in submission, “Fine, but the moment he confesses to anything, Castiel gets yanked.”

Castiel smiled and entered the room. The door was shut behind him and he found the man faced down against the table. Castiel pulled out the chair and sat down, watching the other man exhale and raise to a proper sitting position. He smiled brightly, “Detective Singer.”

“Yes,” Castiel smiled, “And you are?”

“How’s Julia?” He tried to move his hands, tried to reach for Castiel’s own, “She told you everything, right?”

“She told us about Ava, but what about you?” Castiel reached out, taking the man’s hand tightly, “Tell me your name.”

The green eyed man smiled softly, Castiel’s heart skipped a beat then shifted to cover the reaction. The man spoke softly, “My name is Dean Winchester. I’m looking for my daughter.”

“Yes, I know.” Castiel nodded, gripping the man’s hand tighter, “Why don’t you know how long your daughter has been gone.”

Dean grinned, a lopsided, charming smile that meant he knew that Castiel knew but he was going to play along anyway, “My wife and I, we were young, naive. I got her pregnant right out of college. We had barely any money, had a shot gun wedding, lived out of my car for a year actually until she got a better job. It was rainy that night.” Dean’s green eyes dulled like he was imagining the scene all over again. He gripped Castiel’s hand tightly as he continued, “I knew I should have replaced the tires. They were dulling from all the driving over gravel, but we just didn’t have the money. I wanted to buy my baby a dress for communion. There was a puddle of oil, some slick on the road.” He closed his eyes tightly, fighting a sob. Castiel wrapped his other hand around Dean’s. The man inhaled sharply, “I survived, so did Jude. But Jodie didn’t.”

 “Jude?” Castiel whispered. Castiel was a man of pure facts but he couldn’t deny this anymore. Dean’s picture was exactly like his own Jude, they shared names and ages. There was no denying that Dean Winchester was Jude’s father. It was only inevitable that they would go home together and Castiel would be left alone in his apartment.

Dean smiled, “My baby girl. My Jude. I miss her,” Dean sighed. There was a moment of silence before Dean began again, “I was so banged up they had to put pins in my back and I was laid up for four months. I got hooked on pain killers. I left her at a grocery store when she was two. I decided to go into rehab after that. I left Jude with my father. We wrote letters back and forth for two years. Then, they just stopped.”

“They stopped a year ago?” Castiel muttered.

Dean nodded frantically, “Please, Detective Singer. Is that my Jude? That girl on the news? They’re the same age, they look so much alike.”

“What was Jude’s favorite activity?” Castiel frowned. How could he tell this girl’s father that she was abused, starved and tossed around up until two days ago. That she desperately clung to any attention because she was lonely. That she was currently asleep in Castiel’s apartment because she tried to punch an RN when they were separated?

Dean snickered, “She likes to read, and play video games. She even likes to play with my Dad’s tools. She was four and she changed the oil.”

Castiel heaved a heavy sigh and pulled away from Dean. The loss of his touch suddenly seemed unbearable. Dean physically slumped in his chair, his bright green eyes dulled and he looked sickly again. Castiel gave a slight smile, “I’ll be right back.”

He left quickly, shutting the door and leaning back with a defeated sigh, “I have to tell him.”

Ellen smiled softly, running her hands through Castiel’s hair, “Yeah, you do. He’ll love you forever for it.”

Castiel pouted, “That isn’t the reason. He needs to know his daughter is alive.”

The group looked at Crowley who just shrugged and waived them off, “The rest of you need to start working a report. We’ve got three missing girls all with similar features and I need to work on this case with Mr. Rodriguez.”

Rufus rubbed the back of his head, “I’ll go with you, maybe convince him to drop the charges. Keep an eye on him since he’s still a suspect.”

“I’ll get Ms. Wilson to a hotel.” Ellen elbowed nudged Castiel and followed the two men down the hall. Castiel glanced at Chuck before returning to the room.

Dean lit up again, eyes bright and smile wide, “What was that all about?”

Castiel coughed, “Mr. Winchester-”

“Dean,” He interrupted with a boyish smile.

Castiel returned it, “Dean. I need to tell you something.” Castiel reached out and grabbed Dean’s hand, “That girl, she’s not your Jude.”

Dean broke down, his green eyes watering and he gripped Castiel’s hand, “Thank God!”

Castiel stroked his hand gently, “Yes.”

“She’s still alive?”

“Yes.”There was a moment of pause, poignant and stifling. Castiel coughed, cleared his throat then shifted though he never dropped Dean’s hand, “She’s safe and nearby.”

Dean smiled brightly, “Good, good. Um, is she with my father?”

Castiel frowned, “No, Dean. We found her with a man. A...um...”

Dean dropped Castiel’s hand, “Was my baby hurt?”

“She was very brave.”

“Was my baby hurt?”

Castiel stood, puffed his chest to look far more menacing than his tiny frame would allow, “Not anymore, Dean. She’s safe and you can see her once we know its safe.”

“Safe?” Dean spat, “You mean drug free. I’ll take a test, Castiel.”

Castiel tried not to shiver at the sound of his own name coming from the man. He nodded and rounded the table to unlock Dean, “That’s exactly what you’re going to do and then I’ll take you to see Jude.”

  


**Castiel’s Apartment**

**Friday, July 6th**

**6:00AM**

Dean hadn’t let go of Castiel’s hand except for the five minutes that he was in the restroom. The rest of the time Dean was attached to Castiel, even hugged the detective when the results came back as negative for any drugs. Castiel had the brief five minutes to speak with Chuck who expressed moderate concern for Castiel’s involvement in Dean. Castiel assured Chuck that Dean was just as much a victim as his daughter. He had years of no affection and Castiel was the first to offer willingly. Castiel kept to himself that he hoped Dean was already inclined to respond to male attention.

Now, in the first rays of light, Castiel was leading Dean back to his apartment. Dean was trying to stifle a grin, “It was really nice of you to take Jude in.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Castiel offered, “You probably will have to stay too. She is kind of...needy.”

Dean frowned, “Needy?”

Castiel opened the door quietly. He opened the door slowly to the sight of Castiel’s father plugging his ears and Jude screaming until her face was red. Castiel’s father glanced over at Castiel and heaved a great sigh, “I’m glad you have thick walls, idjit.”

Castiel smiled, “Thank you, Father.”

Jude suddenly stopped, her bright green eyes fell on Castiel and she began to cry, “Castiel! I missed you,” She ran right into Castiel’s arms, “Why did you leave me? I was so lonely.”

“I had to get your father, baby.” Castiel stroked her head softly. Jude looked around Castiel to find Dean smiling cautiously. She wailed and ran into Dean’s arms. Dean cried himself, gripping her tightly and kissing her hair.

“This is her Daddy?” Castiel’s father stepped up close, “You’re going to put up her dead-beat dad too?”

Castiel nodded, “I don’t have much of a choice. He just got out of rehab.”

Castiel’s father heaved a great sigh and patted Castiel on the shoulder, “How did I raise such a bleeding heart?”

“It was mostly Mom.” Castiel supplied, “I’ll make breakfast.”

They sat around Castiel’s small kitchen table eating bacon and eggs. Jude and Dean were in their own world, talking brightly to each other until Castiel cleared his throat. He smiled at Jude who returned it brightly, “Jude, how did you end up with Mr. Rodriquez.”

Jude bit her lip and glanced at her father, “Don’t be mad.”

“I won’t be mad, baby.” Dean smiled, brushing her bright blonde curls behind her ear. He glanced at Castiel before returning his attention to his daughter, “Tell Castiel what happened.”

“Grandpa got sick.” Jude murmured, “He started coughing blood and he couldn’t get out of bed some days. Then one day,  a big man came and said that Grandpa was bad. That Daddy wasn’t coming back and I had to go someplace better. He took me to Mr. Rodriquez.”

Castiel frowned, “What did this man look like?”

Jude pouted for a second, “Old with curly hair but not long, short like Daddy’s. And he had yellow eyes.”

Castiel raised a brow, “Yellow eyes.”

She nodded, “Yeah, yellow eyes and a big nose.”

Castiel looked at his father and sighed, “Excuse me for a minute.”

It was a heart warming scene that Castiel returned to. Dean and Jude were in the kitchen gathering meager ingredients for breakfast. Castiel’s father was asleep in the large recliner, snoring rather loudly. Castiel had ran to the hallway to give the description to Chuck. He whispered every detail into his grainy cell phone in a rush before he entered the apartment again.

Dean was humming softly, Castiel idly recognizing it as the ‘Hey Jude’ song by the Beatles. Jude sang along while she stirred a mixture for eggs. Castiel leaned against the door and watched the two interact, feeling warmth spread across him.

“Do you like Mr. Novack?” Dean stopped his humming to ask Jude.

Jude smiled brightly and shook her head, “Castiel is my best friend. I love him. Is he going to be my Daddy too?”

Dean laughed, “What about a Mommy?”

Jude pouted, “Castiel can be Mommy right? I mean, Mommies give kids kisses and clothes and they take care of their children. So Castiel is Mommy, right?”

Dean laughed, “I can’t argue with that logic.”

They were quiet again before Jude turned back to Dean, “Do you like Castiel?”

“He’s handsome and gentle,” Dean sighed to himself. Castiel blushed deeply and took a step forward, the floor boards creaking under his feet. Dean’s bright green eyes found Castiel and stared. His cheeks lit up bright red before he grinned shyly at Castiel. Jude’s attention was drawn to her father after the long hesitation. He turned back to her with his wide smirk, “He rescued you, didn’t he?” Dean asked coyly, eyes finding Castiel over Jude’s head, “Then yes, I like him. Hopefully he likes us too.”

Jude giggled, “Of course Castiel likes you, Daddy.”

Castiel stepped up to the two, “Yes, you are very handsome and strong.”

Dean blushed and turned his attention back to the stove top where he was stirring the eggs until they were fluffy. Castiel helped Jude mix the eggs as he tried to hid his own blush.  
  



	5. Part Five

**Jude Part Five  
**

  
  


**John Winchester’s Apartment**

**Friday, July 6th**

**10:00AM**

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Castiel muttered to Dean.

Dean nodded, “For Julia.”

“Most likely Julia’s girl went through the system. You’re daughter never went through it. Not from the sound of her story.” Castiel frowned, “And I don’t want you to get into a fight with your father over this.”

Dean frowned, “Why are you doing this?”

Castiel shrugged, “I want to know who hurt Jude. I hope that they will lead us to whoever hurt Ava. I hope to stop them before they hurt another girl.”

Dean nodded, “It’s not just because you like me, right?”

Castiel blushed and continued into the worn apartment building. The building was on the south end of the St. Charles Borromeo Church, tucked away between rows of other apartment complexes. Castiel’s instincts told him to be very aware of how far away the church was from the apartment complex, “How far away did you and your wife life from your father?”

Dean laughed, “Next door, for a while. We lived with him for a long time, then I got Jodie pregnant and he kicked me out. Jodie got kicked out of her family’s house too. Then he saw Jude and he took us back in. When Jodie got her nursing job, we moved next door.”

Castiel nodded, “How do you meet Ms. Wilson? Rehab?”

Dean shrugged, “Rehab, church, neighborhood wash’n’go. She and Jodie got along.” He pointed to a cement apartment to the right of the complex they were walking into, “She lived in that one. Had Ava five days after Jude was born. They were going to be best friends.”

Castiel smiled softly and they rounded the corner of the entrance way. There was a single apartment, rusted doors and the imprint of a number one on the front. Castiel knocked, “Hello?”

“Yeah, hold on,” An old, rustic voice growled from the inside the apartment. The door was flung wide open and an old man appeared from inside, “Yeah? What do you want?”

“Um...” Castiel froze, normally he would flash his badge but he’d already said he would not appear as a cop. It would get traced back to him and he’d be in trouble for damaging a case. He decided to investigate Jude’s case as a civilian if only to sooth Dean’s worries. It some how did not upset Castiel at all that he was investigating a case and jeopardizing his career for a man he just met.

“Hi,” Dean wrapped his arm around Castiel’s waist, “My name is Dean, this is my partner Cas. We’re looking for a man, John Winchester. He’s my father and we wanted to tell him the good news.”

The superintendent frowned, “John’s gone.”

Dean frowned, “He moved?”

The man frowned, “He died.”

Dean went white, his hand gripped Castiel’s hip tightly, “Dead?”

The man nodded, “Yeah, had a heart attack. Bum ticker got to him before the kidney failure. Man drank like no one’s business.”

Dean gritted his teeth, “He had a little girl.”

“Yeah, some guy from Child services came and got to her. Real creepy guy, balding, stocky.” The superintendent gestured to his eyes, “He had real bad jaundice too.”

“Yellow eyes,” Castiel muttered.

“What did he say?” Dean growled.

The man shrugged, “Just said that he was here to pick up the girl. That the government saw fit to remove her because her dad was a dead beat and the grandpa was a drunk. Don’t know how they found out though. The man never left the apartment, couldn’t after the second year. There was another guy who came around a lot, brought them food and clothing.”

Dean pulled away from Castiel, “My brother? Real tall guy? He was here? Why didn’t he take the girl?”

“He hasn’t been around in over a year,” The man frowned, “Last time he came around he had a blonde lady with him. There was a holy mess, chair threw out the window, the moose never came back.”

Dean exhaled, “Guess I can’t blame Sammy, can I?”

Castiel glanced at the man then faced the superintendent, “How long ago did Children Services come?”

The man sighed, “Well, about 11 months ago. Before you ask, the moose hasn’t been around for about 18 months. No visitors in between except delivery boys, which went to me and I went up to the apartment.”

“Did you report to Children Services?” Castiel frowned.

The superintendent snorted, “No, the man was a saint with that girl. And she was a handful, cried every night if he left the room. She’s in a good home now, right?”

Dean took Castiel’s hand, “Yes, she is.”

**Special Victim Unit’s Precinct**

**Friday, July 6th**

**4:00PM**

“Jude didn’t go through Child Services but I’m pretty sure Ava did.” Castiel rubbed his forehead. He’d been staring at files all day, signing documents that he didn’t even remember anymore. 

Chuck stood above him with a stern frown, “I’m sure you would have done a thorough investigation, but I told you you’re off the case. I gave you clearance for a later shift because you were with Winchester all night but that didn’t mean you could go investigate Jude’s case.”

“Dean has the right to know what happened to his father.” Castiel exhaled, eyes following Dean who was reading a book to Jude. Dean had taken a shower but had no spare clothes. He was taller, bulkier than Cas so he was left with a pair of Castiel’s father’s clothing. They were worn jeans, a black shirt and plaid shirt opened and lose. Castiel tried not to imagine how attractive Dean was dressed like that, “He has the right to know how Jude got to where she was.”

“And yet you haven’t told him what Rodriguez did to her,” Chuck frowned, “Why?”

Castiel shrugged, “He doesn’t deserve that much heartache.”

“Balthazar is on the case, he’s investigating child services right now.” Chuck frowned, “You tell that man how you came to keep his daughter.”

Castiel nodded, standing up just as the phone rang. He grabbed it quickly, “Singer.”

“Hey, honey,” Balthazar laughed, “How’s you and your new hubby?”

“Balthazar,” Castiel sighed, covering his blush with a strategic brush of his hand over his cheeks. Balthazar laughed over the phone.

“So, we talked to a lovely little creature who had no idea who Jude was but said Ava went to a Meg Master’s apartment.” Balthazar sighed, “She also said that Alistair Rodriguez is not a name on the list of foster homes and she’s never had an employee with yellow eyes. She swears up and down that only she and her co worker, Tammi, have cases in the area and the files checked out.”

“Okay, so are we thinking that Jude and Ava’s cases are related?” Castiel frowned, “Ava told the perp about her dear best friend to survive and both end up with Rodriguez. Ava dead a few months before he gets the change to take Jude.”

“Only Jude was taken eleven months ago and the description was not Rodriquez.” Balthazar sighed, “We’re on our way to Master’s apartment. Any news from DNA?”

Castiel glanced at Chuck, “Have we heard from Ash yet?”

Chuck sat down on the table, “No match. Cherish Doe is not Ava Wilson. We have a third victim and most likely one other accomplice.”

Castiel sighed, “Dammit, no match.”

Balthazar snickered, “Figures, Lilith, that’s the little spit fire from Children’s Services, said that she recognized Cherish Doe too. She’s looking through her files to find the girl.”

“Good, call when you know something.” Castiel slammed the phone down and looked at Chuck, “It’s not an inside job but it has to do with Child Services.”

Chuck tapped his cheek, “Guy pretends to be with Child Services and goes to broken homes and steals girls?”

“Families like that won’t question a man with Child Services.” Castiel shrugged, “But we need to find the family of Cherish Doe. How about Rodriquez, is he out yet?”

“Crowley is working him over with Rufus, I guess trying to make a plea deal.” Chuck frowned, “He dropped the charges on you if we don’t accuse him of kidnap and rape. Which is irrelevant since we only have him on child abuse.”

Castiel grinned, “You’re trying to hold him to get him to break?”

Chuck patted Castiel on the shoulder, “Oh you’re not the only one with tricks Castiel. Now go tell that man the truth and find out if he’s got more of a connection with Julia.”

Castiel sighed and moved away from his desk, walking the short but terrifying distance to the break room where Dean and Jude were. Dean glanced up to Castiel as he entered, “Hey. On break already?”

Jude grinned, “Come join us Cas.”

Castiel nodded and slipped into the chair beside Jude. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him. Dean watched them both with a warm smile, “Jude likes you a lot, Castiel.”

“Cas is my friend,” Jude smiled, “He saved me from the monster.”

Dean frowned, “The man with the yellow eyes.”

“No, the man in the apartment.” Jude frowned, “He hit me with belts. And he wouldn’t let me touch the dolls.”

Dean sat straighter in his chair, “Castiel, how did you find my daughter?”

“Cherish Doe was wrapped in cloth and pamphlets from St. Charles Borromeo Church. They were in the dumpster of the apartment complex of Alistair Rodriquez along with his credit card receipts. We stormed the apartment and found Jude there.”

“He hit me Daddy but then Cas hit him and I felt better.” Jude grinned up at Castiel, “He’s going to be my other Daddy now. Not like that mean old man and his partner.”

Dean was stiff and quiet. Castiel stroked Jude’s hand, “Partners? The man with the yellow eyes knew Rodriquez?”

“Uh huh,” Jude frowned, “The yellow eyed man kept me in the basement. He said until Alistair was ready for me. Then, when he dropped me off at the apartment, they kissed and they touched each other. I covered my eyes and ears though.”

Castiel bit his lip, pulling Jude closer to him. He was appalled that Alistair would have sex in front of a minor. That had to be some sort of offense but even worse was that poor Jude knew of Rodriquez’s accomplice, was a witness to their relation and would most likely be put on the stand to testify. He wouldn’t be able to protect Jude from lawyers and the media. He could only promise that she would never be hurt in the way Rodriquez did every again. He looked at Dean who looked ashy and sick. Castiel reached for his hand, “Dean?”

Dean looked up, eyes suddenly focused and bright, “Thank you, Castiel. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

Castiel smiled softly, “I just want Jude to be happy.”

Dean smiled but it wasn’t as bright, maybe even just a little disappointed.

“Dean,” Castiel coughed, “We think that there is a connection between Jude’s kidnapping and Ava’s disappearance.”

“And finding Cherish Doe’s body right?” Dean hissed. He scratched at the inside of his forearms, dull and rhythmic like he was feeling for a week spot. 

“Yes,” Castiel muttered, “We think that they are all linked to a partner team, one would be Alistair Rodriquez but we don’t have any DNA. Another would be this man that took Jude. We think that Ava was taken in the same way just earlier than Jude was.”

“How did he even find her?” Dean continued to scratch at his arm, nails creating lines across the pale flesh.

“We were hoping you could figure that out.” Castiel reached out to grab Dean’s hand but the man pulled it away, shoving it into his lap. Castiel exhaled, chest deflating in defeat, “Is there any place you would have gone with Ms. Wilson that he could have found you?”

Dean frowned and shook his head, “No.”

“Dean?”

“No.” He stood up and stomped around the room, “I’ve never been any place that a sick fuck like that could see me and Jude. I didn’t use in public and I didn’t use when Jude was around. I just popped them to go to sleep. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Dean it’s alright,” Castiel stood too. Jude dropped his hand and ran to her father’s side, taking his wrist into her grasp.

**Precinct**

**Saturday, July 7th**

**8:00AM**

“Would someone please tell me why we’re here at 8 in the morning on a Saturday?” Balthazar groaned around a cup of coffee, “I thought I specifically demanded to have Saturday mornings off.”

Castiel sat quietly at his desk across from Balthazar’s, nursing a cup of coffee and a muffin. He pretended it was the stale, day old muffins that were in the break room. He’d wrinkle his nose after every bite and take a sip of coffee like he’d needed to wash it down. But secretly he played along if only to protect the horde of home made muffins carefully sealed in a ziplock container and hidden away in his desk.

He was a single man with a single father and dinner was usually Hungry Man frozen dinners and whatever could be delivered. But having Dean in the home, even with the mysteries, and relapses that he was still fighting, Castiel’s bachelor pad became an actual home, with fresh coffee and breakfast that wasn’t heated in a microwave. Castiel had woken up this morning to a warm container of muffins and fresh coffee in a thermos that Castiel hadn’t recognized. He ate one in front of Dean and couldn’t contain the moan that came from the heavenly taste. Dean had hid a smile and shuffled Castiel off to work.

Now, as Castiel sits in the dreary precinct, hiding his stash of homemade goodies, he realized he’d left a formally drug addicted man and his long lost daughter alone in his apartment with only his aging father to keep them there. He attempted to convince himself that the cold feeling in his heart wasn’t the fear that Dean would take Jude and run but that Dean would hurt his father. He wasn’t very convinced. 

Rufus slept restless at his desk, head hidden under his suit jacket. Ellen sat across from him, leafing through her journal of notes. She sighed, “Has the junkie said anything to you about connections?”

Castiel frowned, “His name is Dean and he’s a recovering addict. He said he’s been clean for 15 months.”

Ellen smiled, “And has he always lived around here? In the city.”

Castiel nodded, “Left for upstate because they had a better facility. I’m not sure how he could afford a better facility but I called them, they said he was there, paid with his own money too.”

Ellen nodded and pushed her journal to Castiel. He scanned it quickly and gave her a look. She rolled her eyes and stood up, “We visited Ava’s foster mother. The woman, Meg Masters, was a former drug addict, acid and she dabbled in pcp. Now, she works directly in a cathedral. She cleans everything, top to bottom in St Charles Borromeo Church.”

Castiel frowned, “And she lives in the neighborhood.”

Ellen nodded, bright eyes and wide smile, “And she lives in the neighborhood. Even supports a Narcotic’s Anonymous Group.”

“You think she’s the one?” Castiel frowned. Everything was a little too clean cut and obvious, “How does she know Alistair?”

Ellen slumped back into her chair then, “We don’t know.”

That’s when Crowley and Chuck walked in, “Well good and that sealed the deal for Alistair’s freedom.”

“What?” Castiel growled, “You let that man go?”

Crowley frowned, “He made bail. We had him in on child assault, it was a minor misdemeanor because the acting cop assaulted him. And with this new lead, he isn’t even a suspect anymore.” 

“Is that why were here so ungodly early?” Balthazar stretched. He pulled a rolled up newspaper from a corner of his messy desk, leaned over and hit Rufus on the shoulder. The older man sat up straight, jacket falling to the floor.

“What is it?” Rufus wiped the drool from his mouth.

“Yes,” Crowley sighed, “You’re here because we need to re group. Tell me what we have?”

Ellen explained the whole scenario over again. Meg Masters had Ava the last time she was spotted. She worked in the neighborhood church, lived in there as well and had the opportunity to take on both Ava and Cherish Doe, torture and kill them and dump them in the garbage. All through the conversation, Crowley nodded. Most likely building his defense and deciding who would be put on the stand.

“What’s the little girl’s connect, The one dear old Singer has?” Crowley interrupted.

Ellen bit her lip and looked to Castiel, “Nothing, actually.”

“She was taken before she entered into the system,” Castiel sighed, “Her father is a recovering drug addict and his father who had her before she ended up with Alistair. It doesn’t seem like a connection.”

“Except that who ever took the little girl was pretending to be a social worker,”  Rufus rubbed his forehead, “I still think there’s a connection.”

Crowley frowned, “Am I going to have to make a deal?”

The group collectively sighed. There was a missing link between Meg Master and Ava and Alistair and Jude. It was obvious that there was a connection. All three girls had the same features and possibly a connection with Child Services. They had to find the last link, Cherish Doe and how it comes back to Jude and her description of the man with yellow eyes. 

Balthazar’s desk phone rang, a piercing noise amongst the chaos of the precinct. He answered and went silent, allowing whoever was on the other line to speak. He turned pale white, said a few muttered words then wrote down an address. He muttered a few more then hung up the phone. He heaved a huge sigh before smiling, “We found Cherish Doe’s grandmother.”

The group began cheering and shouting over each other in an attempt to organize themselves. Both Ellen and Rufus were shuffling around to get their coats together before Chuck stopped them, “Now hold on, Balthazar and Rufus can go. Bring back anything that we can compare to the body. Castiel stays here. Ellen since you sniffed the led with Meg, you’re going back to interview. Bring a picture of Jude with you. See if you can find a connection, take Crowley with you. He can shake her a bit.”

Ellen nodded and grabbed her jacket, Crowley following close behind. Balthazar and Rufus left shortly after, leaving Castiel at his desk, documenting old files. Chuck looked down with a soft grin, “You need to talk to Dean. You need to find his connection beside his father living in that neighborhood.”

Castiel nodded, “I can do that.”   
  



	6. Part Six

**Jude Part Six  
**

  
  


**Precinct**

**Saturday, July 7th**

**12:00PM**

Ellen had returned with Crowley, disappointed. Meg Master’s had a solid alibi. She had called children services and said that Ava had been out of control and she wanted her back. Meg and her friend, another Meg but a brunette, had been at the apartment when an older man with jaundice around the eyes came and picked her up two weeks before Cherish Doe’s body was found. There was another connection back to Jude and now Castiel had to figure out a way to interrogate Dean without him knowing.

“Cas!” A small shriek was heard across the main floor and Castiel had an arm full of tiny Jude. Her hair was up and she was wearing an old Cleveland Indians jersey and khaki shorts. It had been one of his old outfits, back before his mother passed away, before everything got dark and depressing. He felt a little giddy seeing her in his clothing. He smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. 

“Hello,” He smiled into her tightly pulled blonde hair, “What are you doing here?”

“We wanted to surprise you,” Jude grinned into his dress shirt, “Daddy said you’d need lunch.”

Castiel looked up and over Jude’s head see Dean. He was shuffling awkwardly, scratching at his bare arm. He was wearing one of Castiel’s old t shirts. Castiel tried to stifle the joy of the image, instead burying his head in Jude’s hair again, “Did he? That’s exciting. What did you and Dean bring?”

She smiled, “We’re taking you to lunch.”

Dean grinned sheepishly, “I called in earlier and your Captain said it was okay.”

Castiel smiled and stood, “Okay.”

Dean took Jude’s hand and nodded, “Okay.”

Jude took Castiel’s hand and pulled the two men along, “Okay!”

They walked the short distance to a diner and found a quiet booth in the corner. Jude pushed Dean and Castiel into one side of the table and sprawled out on the other. The waitress came by with crayons and paper then took their drink orders. Castiel waited for Jude to be distracted enough for him to start asking Dean, “Dean. We need to talk.”

Dean absently played with his fork, “Yeah.”

“There’s a connection. Julia deserves to find her daughter and I think your past will tell led us to where her daughter is.”

“Cas, I don’t want to talk about it.” Dean began to shuffle away as much as he could in the tiny booth, “I don’t want to be reminded.”

Castiel took Dean’s hand gently, “It could help us. Alistair is apart of this, I know it. I just need to prove it.”

Dean sighed, “My mother died when I was four, my little brother was six months. My Dad started drinking then. He kept talking about demons. That demons were everywhere and they had killed my mother. He forced my brother and I to learn latin and shoot guns. He said that I had to protect my brother or kill him.” There was a moment of silence where Dean tried not to cry. Castiel watched him quietly, memorizing the way Dean’s green eyes grew bright with sorrow. Dean sucked on his lip, a now obvious nervous habit, and watched Jude quietly color. He exhaled shakily, “So, I decided I would raise my brother. I kept him away from our father as best as I could, dropped out of school so that I would always be around for Sammy. I made sure Sammy wouldn’t be scared by our father. He’s a lawyer out in California now.” Dean chuckled to himself, “I guess, I always wanted to be a parent, a real one. So when Jodie got pregnant, I vowed that I would alway be there for the both of them. So,” Dean frowned, leaning into Castiel’s touch, “When I got some sense back, when I started regretting all the drug use, I felt guilty. To think I’m still bringing pain to my daughter even after rehab.”

Castiel leaned back, eyes following Jude as she drew, “She doesn’t look pained or angry, Dean. She looks happy and at home.”

Dean relaxed too, “Because you saved her.”

“Alistair could still get her, we need you to put him and his accomplices away.” Castiel nudged, “You’ll be the real hero.”

There was a long pause. They received their drinks, ordered their lunch and had even received a large plate of fries before Dean spoke again, “I broke my arm. I took some pills and got hungry, walked down the stairs and tripped. Fell down two flights and laid there for an hour before a neighbor took me to the hospital. My brother begged me to go to therapy, so I went to the church.” Dean sighed heavily, “The huge Catholic one in the neighborhood, they had a Narcotic’s Anonymous meeting every Monday night. It didn’t work, I still used the pain killers. My brother actually paid my expenses to the Centre in Rochester.”

“Did you know Megan Masters?” Castiel squirmed in his chair, “She said that she led NA meetings there.”

Dean smiled, “I would have to see her to know. There were two of them, you know. A blonde and a brunette. And it was awhile ago. I only vaguely remember their faces.”

“What about Jude? Did you ever talk about her?”

“I had to, it was part of the therapy, to remind ourselves why we were there.”

“Do you think you could go to another one? Another at the church?” Castiel asked eagerly, “We can have you identify her. Maybe we can find someone who knows something, or even find the link!”

Dean patted Castiel on the arm, “We don’t even know if there is a link.”

“What about Julia? Was she ever at the church when you were?” Castiel picked at the fries, watching as Jude dove into them. Dean was picking at them too, taking a few handfuls at once.

“She would come from time to time, not as often as me when I started. But she could have come more often after I went to Rochester.” Dean shrugged. The waitress came by with their food. The rest of lunch was spent quietly but Castiel enjoyed it. He felt like this was family, his family even if it was just for a little while.

“Your father sends his regards, he had to get back to the garage.” Dean muttered around his burger, “Does he live there or something?”

“Yeah, it’s right outside of the city,” Castiel smiled, “He still lives in the home i grew up and just started a garage in the side yard.”

Castiel turned back to Dean, watching the soft expression across his face. Castiel tried to hid his blush and picked more at his salad. He heard a soft mutter from his shoulder, “I’d like to see it sometime.”

**Narcotic’s Anonymous**

**St Charles Borromeo Church**

**Monday, July 9th**

**9:00PM**

Dean stood at the front of a small crowd of people. They sat, scattered across several pews, watching Dean’s every move wearily. Balthazar was sitting one pew back, in a thick sweatshirt, watching the crowd. Castiel was back in the van, watching Dean pace nervously in front of the altar from a monitor tucked away in the corner. The view was actually connected to a small portable camera that was attached to Balthazar’s tie. Ash was with Castiel in the van once more, twirling in chair behind him, laughing at Castiel’s hopeless look, “He’ll be fine.”

“I know.” Castiel sighed, regretting his decision. Jude was curled up in a pile of blankets and pillow in the corner near Castiel’s seat. She wrapped her small arms tightly around one of Castiel’s suit jackets. It seemed to relax her into sleep and Ash promised that even if something happened, he would protect her. But what could Ash promise if her father got hurt?

Dean began talking, and all worry escaped Castiel. He relaxed in his seat and watched Dean go through the motions, “My name is Dean and I’m a recovering addict.”

He told his sob story, cleared his throat several times and tried not to look right into the camera Castiel was staring through. Castiel shuddered at the lost, desperate look in Dean’s eyes. It was the same look Jude had had that very first night, needy and haunting. Castiel wanted to storm out of the van, through the halls of the church and right into Dean’s arms. Castiel wanted to make sure the Winchester family never cried again. But instead he looked at other monitors, hidden cameras attached to several other cops that were undercover.

Dean was pleading for anyone to come forward with information regarding Cherish Doe, now revealed as Lily Smith, mother was a known prostitute Elizabeth Smith who left the child with her paralyzed mother and disappeared. Ida Smith, the disabled grandmother, did her best to raise a child while aging and dying quickly herself. She called Child Service’s herself, watched them take Lily away, she said it was a man with yellow eyes that did so.

She had also said that she recognized the man as someone who’d gone to the Narcotic’s Meetings that Elizabeth had gone to during her pregnancy. 

Now they were here with Ash’s facial recognition scanner with all of the compiled qualities in comparison to the back records of convicted felons and drug addicts to find the possible link between Meg Masters and Alistair.

“Whoa,” Ash muttered at his computer. 

Castiel turned to Ash with a deep frown, “What?”

Castiel tip toed over to Ash’s monitor and leaned over his shoulder to see what the man was staring at. Words were scrolling across the screen next to the image of a leggy blonde woman in the fourth row. Her face was being picked up by Dean’s hidden camera, or it could have been Julia’s camera as the woman was now standing next to Dean, telling her own sad story. The woman on Ash’s screen was crying, mascara running as well as foundation that was covering a bruise on her cheek.

“My name is Julia Wilson and I am a drug addict.” Julia’s broken voice was picked up over the microphone, “Someone has my baby and I need your help.”

“That woman is Elizabeth Smith.” Ash muttered, “Holy shit! She’s alive and attending St. Charles- Borromeo.”

Castiel scooted back over to his table were a mic sat. He whispered the new revelation into the microphone which was linked right into Balthazar’s ear. There was a rustling through the mic and the screen began to move, zeroing in on Elizabeth Smith. He took her aside, pulling her all the way out of the church and flashed his badge to her.

“I know who you are,” Balthazar whispered to her, “You’re not in trouble. We just have some questions for you. It’s about your daughter, Lily.”

Elizabeth frowned, “What’s wrong with my baby?”

“She’s dead.”

“No,” Elizabeth hissed, pulling away from Balthazar, “No, she’s safe with my mother.”

“You’re mother gave her up to Children Services. And something happened to her, a man took her away and she’s dead.” Balthazar shuffled around and must have pulled a comparison picture from his pocket as the woman began to cry and look away from somewhere beyond where Castiel could see, “We found her raped and murdered.  She was reported to the system before a man with yellow eyes took her away, pretending to be a social worker. Now, there is a little girl missing and we think we know who it is. You have to tell us who might have hurt her.”

Elizabeth cried, collapsing into Balthazar’s welcoming arms. Balthazar rubbed her back gently, soothing her before pulling her away from him and pulling another photo from his pocket, “We need you to identify this man. Do you know him and would he have any relationship to your daughter?”

Elizabeth stared at the photo, gathering her composure, “That’s my former Spanish Teacher. Back when I was in middle school. He went to jail for raping and assaulting a girl in my class. Christopher Alistair Ortega. But we lived in Ohio back then.” She sniffled, “He went to jail for twenty to life. Did he have my baby?”

“We think so. Has he ever been around the church?” Balthazar asked, “Has he spoken to you or the two people who were talking in the meeting.”

She frowned, “He’s spoken to Meg before. She told me they went on a date once but he only ever grilled her about the parents in her NA meetings. She told me he seemed too interested in Priest Azazel too.”

“Interested?” Balthazar muttered. Castiel turned to Ash who was fiddling around with a monitor. Castiel returned to his microphone and pressed a second button that was connected to Dean’s wire.

“Dean,” He whispered, “Find the priest,” There was a hesitation and Castiel had wished Dean had been given the opportunity to speak to Castiel then. Instead Castiel muttered a few encouraging words and watched as Dean found the priest leaning against the pillar watching Dean, “Ash, run the facial scanner, fast.”

He was brought back to Balthazar and Elizabeth. She was discussing Alistair and Azazel, rubbing at her eyes, “She said that she’d catch them whispering to each other, intimately. And one time Father Azazel grabbed Mr. Ortega’s ass. I think they’re doing it.”

“Bingo!” Ash shouted, waking Jude who ran into Castiel’s arms. On Ash’s screen was the face of Father Azazel, younger, unshaven, with yellow skin pulled tight across his eyes, “Yansem Edward Darwin. Charged with the rape and murder of four boys, got out on bail and fell of the grid. Before that, he was arrested for assaulting a man where he was sent to Elkton Federal in Ohio and met Christopher Alistair Ortega. They were know butt-buddies and inmates then. Azazel got out first, set up a life in New York. Alistair got out a year later, moved here and became Alistair Rodriquez and three months later, Lily disappears.”

Castiel frowned and leaned down to Jude. She clutched his jacket tightly but he turned her towards the monitor where Father Azazel was clutching his sleeve and glaring. He squeezed her tight, “Jude, is that the man who took you?”

She whimpered into his arm and nodded, “That’s the yellow eyed man.”

Castiel pulled her off him and placed her in Ash’s arms, “You have to stay here.”

Jude nodded and Castiel turned back to the monitor. Father Azazel had walked up to Dean and was now pulling him down a darkened hallway. There was muttering, Dean clearly did not want to follow. Castiel pressed the button to call Balthazar, “Father Azazel has Dean, get her in the truck then have a team go for Father Azazel. I’m calling Ellen and Rufus to get Alistair.”

He dialed Ellen’s number quickly, fixing his gun around his hip and exiting the van. There was a short ring then Ellen’s voice over the line, “Hello?”

“Ellen, we’ve got a witness, tell the Chief and arrest Alistair.” Castiel huffed, “I’m going after the accomplice. He’s got Dean.”

“Okay, be careful.” Ellen’s voice was heard as Castiel shut the phone and threw it into his pocket. He knew Ellen would call the right department so he’d have back up at the right time. Castiel entered the main hallway and followed the path Azazel had taken Dean through. Castiel heard shuffling and the sounds of men whispering to each other. He pulled his gun slowly from the holster.

He heard Dean shout, “Where is she? I know you took her!”

“Shut up, bitch.” Azazel hissed. Castiel quickened his pace, spotting the two turning the corner down a service hallway. Castiel frowned, honing his ears to hear the conversation, “You gave me out to the police didn’t you.”

“How did you get your hands on Jude!” Dean shouted, “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing,” Azazel hissed, “I just take them and store them away until he needs them.”

“Store them?” Dean hissed.

“Yes, I store them down here until he’s gotten rid of the last one. But I won’t wait for him this time.” Azazel grunted. Dean was clearly resisting the pull and slowing the two down. Castiel eased himself closer, watching as Dean pushed against Azazel.

“Freeze!” Castiel shouted, pointing his gun at Azazel’s head, “Step away from Dean.”

Azazel dropped Dean’s arm and the man rushed behind Castiel, hands slipping to Castiel’s shoulders. The man smirked, “You have nothing on me.”

“We have enough,” Castiel growled, “Put your hands up against the wall now.” Azazel followed orders, resting his hands against the cement walls. Beyond him was a steel door, latched by a single padlock and metal board. Castiel approached Azazel with his handcuffs, “Dean, go see what’s behind the door.”

Azazel laughed as Dean passed by him, “You’re not going to like it.”

Castiel put Azazel in the handcuffs and felt around his pockets for the key. He found it and tossed them over to Dean. He began reading Azazel’s rights lowly as Dean messed with the padlock. Once he unlocked it, Dean threw the padlock aside and pulled up the metal bar and opened the door. He froze in place, “Cas?”

Castiel turned to look inside. The room was a solid white storage room. The shelves were bare and some were broken and on the ground. There was a tipped over refrigerator in one end, chains wrapped around the refrigerator. There were no windows and it smelled like body fluid inside. The only light filtered in from the lit hallway. Deep inside was a small form huddled in a corner. Dean rushed in, “Ava! Ava Wilson!”

There was a tiny whimper and the sound of chains as she stood up. A small girl Jude’s age, approached Dean. He unshackled her, lifted her into his arms and approached the light again. When they were out into the light, Castiel could see the same blonde hair and bright green eyes that Lily and Jude had.

“What’s in the refrigerator, Azazel.” Castiel pressed into Azazel.

The man laughed, “It’s empty, the chains aren’t even secure. He didn’t give me the last girl.”

Castiel realized then that it was meant for Jude. That if he hadn’t come to her rescue, she would have been locked inside the refrigerator; dead like Lily. But Dean was right behind Castiel, gripping his upper arm tightly with the one that wasn’t holding up Ava, “Cas, let’s go.”

Castiel exhaled and pulled Azazel away from the wall. With Dean tightly cleaning to him, they marched back through the service hallway and out into the main church area. Police were rushing around them, following the trail back through the hallway to the storage room. Julia was on Dean, grabbing Ava and crying. Balthazar took Azazel and led him to a cop car. 

The were alone, side by side, in a crowded church amongst a mass of running bodies. Dean’s hand was still gripping Castiel’s upper arm. Jude was safe for the time being and there was nothing for him to do. Dean continued to grip his upper arm and Castiel leaned his tired entire body Dean’s larger frame. Dean rested his head on top of Castiel’s and whispered into the soft hair, “Thank you.”

**Castiel’s Apartment**

**Tuesday, July 10**

**7:00AM**

Castiel wasn’t sure he was ready to get up. He snuggled deeper into his freshly washed sheets and willed the feeling of dread away. He wasn’t ready to hear that Dean and Jude were packing up their things and moving. He wasn’t ready to face the truth that he was a bachelor living the dream. But then the smell of bacon struck him and his stomach began to rumble. It was time to face the truth.

Castiel rose quietly and shuffled into the kitchen, still in just his police issued sweat pants. Dean was in the kitchen, looming over a sizzling pan. He had Castiel’s worn Led Zeppelin shirt on with his boxer shorts and he shuffled bacon around while listening to one of Castiel’s old records. Castiel approached him quietly, unwilling to break the image of the man in his kitchen. However Dean turned, piling the finished bacon onto a plat. He looked up to Castiel and smiled wide and bright, “Good Morning.”

“Morning.” Castiel inhaled the fresh smell of coffee and bacon, “Smells good.”

“Good.” Dean smiled, “Jude loves bacon. And what better way to put this all behind us than with the best breakfast ever.”

“Dean,” Castiel muttered quietly.

“Help yourself to a cup of coffee,” Dean returned to the stove, “I hope you like scrambled eggs.” Dean moved to his own cup of coffee, taking a sip gently, “I know you have work today but I was hoping that maybe, since everything that happened yesterday, you could go in late. It would be nice for all of us to have breakfast together and discuss the situation.”

“Is it really fair to tell Jude that you’re leaving after some nice familial breakfast.” Castiel muttered, pouring the hot coffee into the mug. He prepared himself for whatever Dean had to say but he did not expect Dean to start laughing.

“Where am I going, Cas?” Dean chuckled, pouring scrambled eggs onto an empty plate. He placed a few pieces of bacon and a slice of cheese alongside the eggs. He turned to Castiel and handed him the breakfast.

Castiel took it numbly, moving to the table, “I don’t know. You and Jude are together again. The courts have most likely deemed you capable of raising her, and if there is an argument, Crowley will take care of it. In a few months, you and Jude will be star witnesses to Azazel’s and Alistair’s trial and-”

Dean wrapped his hand around Castiel’s wrist, pulling the man closer to him, “And then we’ll disappear, never to be seen or heard from again. And you’ll go off saving more little princesses in distress.” Dean pulled Castiel flush against him, “I think I like my version better.”

Castiel titled his head, following the movement of Dean’s lips, “Your version?”

“Yeah,” Dean grinned, “The one where I get to see my daughter happy in a thriving environment where she’s not only raised by me but by a heroic and handsome man who did everything in his power to take her in when she had no one. Its also where I sleep on this handsome man’s couch until he invites me into his bed and we live like a happy family forever.”

Castiel smiled, “You’re welcomed into my bed anytime.”  
  
 **The End**


End file.
